Ichihime Week 2018
by jylener22
Summary: It's that time of year again and so, of course, I am going to participate in this most wonderful of annual events. Each chapter is based off of prompts given on Tumblr for Ichihime Week. Hope you enjoy!
1. Fresh Flowers

"Presenting His Grace, the most honorable Sir Ichigo Kurosaki, Lord of Karakura and trusted knight in His Majesty's Guard!"

Hearing his entire title always gave Ichigo a bit of a twinge in his left eyebrow, but his expression remained impassive as he strode confidently forward to kneel before his monarch and give the slightest reverent peck on the ornate ring presented before him then caste his gaze on the ground in front of him. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the same hand vaguely gesture for him to rise, but all the same Ichigo found it was most prudent to wait for verbal confirmation of the invitation, which was profered a moment later.

"Rise, rise my dear Sir Ichigo," said the king in a pleasant, rumbling baritone, "We are so pleased you were able to join us at court so swiftly. How are things on the battlefront along the western borders?"

Taking a slight step back, Ichigo inclined his head as he replied, "When I left that particular battle seemed to be well in hand. I wouldn't be at all surprised if your next courier brings news that Your Majesty's troops have prevailed."

Clapping his hands twice, the king chuckled as he said, "This is most excellent news you bring us, but I am sure you are wondering why we have summoned you here rather than waiting until the day was won, correct?"

Once again inclining his head, Ichigo said differentially, "You are very astute, Your Highness. I must confess that I was rather perplexed by your invitation to come to court."

"So you must have been," said the king before addressing the room at large, "We decided to bring back some of our most beloved noble brothers to share in the May Day festivities. A few of your comrades should be arriving within the hour to join our merry party."

Bowing at the waist, Ichigo replied as a matter of course, "Your Majesty is most gracious and generous," while his mind wondered what was really going on. No way had the king simply ordered a few battle-hardened warriors to come a full weeks' journey simply for a few parties and gatherings. While Ichigo wasn't entirely sure who the 'other comrades' the king spoke of were, he had a fairly good idea and if his hunch was correct, they were going to be tasked with something highly sensitive and potentially dangerous. Just the kind of mission Ichigo enjoyed most.

As might be predicted, less than two hours later, the rest of the comrades arrived, who consisted of Sir Chad Yasutora, Sir Renji Abarai and Lord Uryu Ishida, Earl over the Quincy territories. About an hour after the evening meal when they had all been given ample time to rest and recoup from their various journeys, they had finally been surreptitiously summoned to the king's private counsel chambers. Ichigo felt a tingle of anticipation run along his nerve endings as he surmised that whatever the king was about to reveal to them was so important he couldn't share it in front of the rest of the court. He wasn't a bloodthirsty or overly violent person by nature, but he was a competitive person and he felt a bit of pride swell in his chest over being one of the few selected to share in whatever secret the king was going to share.

Gesturing for them all to sit at a round table a good distance away from the door, King Aizen paused after he sat down to make eye contact with each man before saying, "As most of you have surmised by now, my reason for summoning you here goes beyond simple court celebrations of an annual holiday. I have a special assignment that I would entrust to you four. It will require the utmost secrecy and vigilance from all of you and while I have no doubt of all of you have the skills required to fulfill this mission, I will extend the courtesy of allowing each of you the chance to gracefully decline without any fear of repercussions from the crown."

Once again taking the time to look all the knights in the eye, the king seemed satisfied when no one spoke up to refuse and leaned back comfortably in his chair, steepling his fingers and then allowing his expression and voice to take on a more grave tone as he spoke.

"The war we are waging to provide help the oppressed people of Rukongai overthrow their vicious and vindictive overlord while at the same time working to extend the borders of our own kingdom has been going well for our side," the king began, "All our skirmish and extended siege strategies have been markedly effective and I foresee the war ultimately being resolved in our favor within the next eight to ten years."

Curling all but his two index fingers over one another, King Aizen tapped those two remaining against his lips as he said solemnly, "My brave knights...that is not good enough. That timetable is unacceptable to me."

Initially, Ichigo felt his blood and temper rise as he took in the king's outrageous statement. Not good enough? What did he mean ' _not good enough_ '? However, as quickly as the rebellious thought arose, Ichigo's more practical and sensible side suppressed it. The king always had a valid reason for the things he did and said and while he wouldn't execute every person who ever vocally and publicly denounced his decisions, time and again Ichigo had seen those same people put to shame and ridiculed when the full scope of the king's plans came to light. That still didn't mean that Ichigo agreed with all the king's edicts, but he had certainly learned better than to react impulsively around his monarch.

Sure enough, a few moments later the king clarified, "Eight to ten years is too long for this country to be at war. Men are needed to replenish the ranks and when we do that it puts an enormous strain on the rest of the country to produce food and other goods. Then once the armies do have more men, they must be paid which also comes back down to the rest of the citizens to pay for through taxes. I will not have my subjects fighting merely to survive on both the battle and home fronts. This war needs to end in less than two years so that we all can return to an era of peace, productivity and plenty."

Adjusting himself in the seat and unlacing his fingers so that he could rest one hand on the armrest and the other under his jaw, King Aizen said slowly, "I have given the matter much thought and have come to the conclusion that we must make an alliance with the King of Espada in Hueco Mundo if my plan is to have any hope of success."

This time when the king paused Uryu broke the silence with a carefully worded question, saying, "Your Majesty, if I may?" and when he received a nod of acquiescence, Uryu went on, "Forgive me for asking, but King Barragan considers such things to be weak and unbecoming. He has turned down offers of land and great riches, so what are we going to offer to him that will actually have an effect?"

Nodding appreciatively at Uryu's analysis, King Aizen cleared his throat before answering, "As with most things of importance, we will not be able to attain what we want without a significant sacrifice."

Pushing himself out of his chair and slowly making his way around the table, the king continued in a musing tone, "What King Barragan most desires is not more wealth or lands as he feels that what he has already is far superior to anything anyone else might have to offer. However, he desires a strong and enduring bloodline and I am in a position to fulfill that particular desire."

Leaning forward and turning so that he could look into King Aizen's eyes, Renji asked, almost bewildered, "King Barragan wants a wife? I thought he already had an heir."

Pausing just on the other side of Renji's chair, the king replied, "He was married and his wife bore him three sons before she died of a dread sickness, but he is not looking for a wife for himself. His sons are as yet unmarried."

"Pardon Majesty," Renji asked with more clarity in his tone, "but aren't there any eligible young or at least noble women in the court of Hueco Mundo for his sons to choose from?"

Again dipping his head in acknowledgement of one of his subordinate's observations, King Aizen answered, "There are certainly any number of choices within King Barragan's own court and I'm sure if we had waited much longer to make this proposal then our chance to secure an alliance with His Majesty would have been all but impossible. As it is, however, I have a feeling that allowing his sons to marry one of the noble's daughters, sisters or other relatives puts King Barragan in a position he would wish to avoid. Namely that anyone his sons marry and more importantly their extended would have a potential claim to his throne should anything happen to him and all three princes."

"But surely King Barragan knows how unlikely such a possibility is," rejoined Uryu with a slight frown.

"I do not deny that it seems like a baseless fear, but I also concede that it is not based in any delusion or feeble-mindedness," said King Aizen with a slight smile, "And to answer the next most obvious question, the person I have selected as the candidate for the Heir Apparent's bride is my late sister's child. My niece and ward, Lady Orihime Inoue."

Returning to his chair, the king gave them all a chance to absorb the information before he finished with, "King Barragan agreed to his arrangement because not only does it keep his throne secure from the insipid noble families in his court, but it gives him or his descendents a potential claim to my own if I do not marry and sire an heir myself."

Sitting once again as he did when they first came in, King Aizen said in a business-like manner, "Now, your mission is to escort the Lady Inoue to Espada Castle in Hueco Mundo secretly. We cannot allow our enemies in Rukongai and beyond to know that we are making this alliance or any hope we have of shortening this fighting will be in vain. Once the marriage is legal and binding, King Barragan will command his troops to join ours on the battlefront and the overwhelming numbers plus the element of surprise will bring all fighting to a speedy end."

For the third and final time, King Aizen made eye contact with each knight as he said, "Finally, I will have you remain within King Barragan's court as my niece's personal guard for at least a year. Though the likelihood is slim, I would have her protected from possible repercussions of her sudden marriage until her place in the royal house of Hueco Mundo is secure. This you are to keep secret from everyone, including the Lady Inoue herself."

* * *

The rest of that week, the four knights remained at court and participated in the annual May Day tournament. Getting a chance to knock a few heads together in the jousting arena without really having to fear for one's life was a wonderful stress reliever after the rigors of battle. However, that same strain would return for Ichigo in the evenings when the revelries turned into feasts and then dances. Dealing with the court ladies was a tricky business as he really wasn't interested in their insufferable coy yet bold and rather off-putting flirting, but he really didn't want to deal with their families either if those ladies went to them with claims that he was acting in ways unbecoming a knight in His Majesty's guard.

Finally they were given leave by the king to go to the Palace of the Six Flowers where the Lady Inoue had been living after she had been officially presented at court. The only one among the group who was rather reluctant to leave was Renji as his wife and young daughter, Lady Rukia Abarai and Ichika, were to remain at court and it was unlikely that he would see either for some time. King Aizen had agreed to allow Lady Abarai to petition King Barragan to attend his court a month or so after Lady Inoue was married, but he could not guarantee that such a request would be granted. Until they were able to reunite Lady Abarai's brother, Lord Byakuya Kuchiki, had agreed to care for his sister and niece.

The Palace of the Six Flowers was less than half a day's journey, but to try and maintain the integrity of their mission, the four knights left just before sunrise heading back in the direction of the western borders where they were 'supposed to be returning'. About an hour into their journey, they stopped to change out of their battle armor and clothes adorned with their family's insignias and into plain servant's garb.

As they rode, Ichigo turned to Uryu and asked, "So, do you know anything about Lady Inoue? I don't believe I was at court when she was there attending."

Lips curling into an amused half-smile, Uryu nodded as he replied, "Actually I am acquainted with the lady and did happen to be present during the time when she was introduced to the court. However, I am fairly certain you have also met the good lady before."

Glancing sharply over at his cousin and fellow knight, Ichigo retorted, "I think I would remember being introduced to the king's only surviving close relation. And you know how long it's been since I last attended court for any 'decent' stretch of time. I honestly don't think I've been there for longer than a month since I was knighted three years ago."

"Sorry to contradict you, Cousin," Uryu said evenly, but with a slight hint of smugness, "but you met her for the first time at the same time I did. It was back when we were both beginning our training as squires under Sir Urahara and Sir Shinji."

"Seriously?" Ichigo asked in some consternation, "Who was she?"

Brushing aside his long bangs, Uryu answered, "Honestly it doesn't surprise me much that you don't recall her as she was something of a shrinking violet back then."

"Was she the one with the dark brown hair always tucked into one of those fancy hair net things?" Ichigo asked with a frown as he tried to visualize people he met back then and then never bothered to recall until now.

Shaking his head, Uryu replied, "No, that was her maidservant Momo. Lady Inoue's hair was much lighter and more red than brown. She also had bangs which almost completely obscured her eyes."

"Right," Ichigo said slowly as the memory slowly began to resurface with more clarity, "She looked and acted like a scared rabbit whenever anyone spoke or even came near her. When she spoke I had to pretend I understood what she was saying rather than ask her to repeat herself," absentmindedly patting the horn of his saddle, Ichigo said, "There was one time I heard her getting such a tongue-lashing from her caretaker...oh, what was the woman's name."

"Mistress Ochi."

"Yes! That insufferable woman. Any time we did ate or did anything in her presence, she'd give me such a look of disapproval. But like I was saying, there was one time I heard Mistress Ochi lecturing that girl about being a disgrace to her family name and needing to act more like a lady with pride than an insignificant nobody."

In a clipped tone, Uryu said, "Well that was a rather insensitive demand at that point in time seeing as the Lady Inoue had only recently lost her beloved and there had been rumors of her father and mother acting shamefully and possibly driving their family to ruin before they also succumbed to the same illness that killed her brother."

"Oh," was all Ichigo could think of to say before Uryu finished with, "Well, it has been some years since all that and Lady Inoue has gradually been able to put the past behind her and move on."

Urging his horse forward, Renji spoke up, "I'm curious why she hasn't made an appearance at court since she was first presented. The king is her uncle, so one would think she would want to be near the only family she has left."

"One might be inclined to think that at first," said Chad slowly, "but if Uryu is right that her parents died under a cloud, then I imagine that life at court was probably uncomfortable for Lady Inoue. I can't imagine that the king would tolerate such behavior if he caught wind of it, but he also can't dictate and control how people think and talk. This way the king can rule over the nobles with grace and dignity and Lady Inoue can live peacefully while still living a reasonable distance from her uncle."

"That is until now," said Ichigo in a flat tone, "Does Lady Inoue even know about her betrothal to Prince Whatshisface?"

Coughing politely into his hand, Uryu said, "I believe you're referring to Crown Prince Yammy of Hueco Mundo, correct? Might want to learn the man's name before we arrive in his kingdom to deliver and protect his future bride."

"Whatever," Ichigo shot back before throwing over his shoulder as he spurred his horse ahead at a canter, "I'm just saying that I get where the king is coming from with all this, but something about it doesn't sit right with me."

Under his breath, Uryu said, "Couldn't agree with you more, Cousin," before he too urged his horse to go faster.

At their pace, they reached the palace a little over an hour later with their horses glistening and panting from the exertion, but not overly so. Stable hands rushed forward to collect the mounts while the steward came forward to greet the knights.

Sweeping into a shallow yet deferential bow, the man said in an efficient clip, "Welcome good sirs. I am Mizuiro Kojima, steward of the Palace of the Six Flowers. All arrangements have been seen to for you all to remain here for a day or two before escorting the Lady Inoue on her journey."

"Very good," said Uryu in an equally matter-of-fact tone before he inquired politely, "And where might we find the lady of the house?"

Bowing again, Mizuiro replied, "My mistress is currently inspecting the palace gardens. If my lords would care to follow me..." and left the sentence unfinished as he turned to lead the way across the main courtyard and through an archway, which lead out to the palace grounds.

Tall hedges and various plants obscured their view as they made their way forward, but all the men were easily able to pick up on the sound of voices talking and debating on the other side. The atmosphere was so serene and peaceful that when the voices unexpectedly got louder, squealing, yelling and borderline screaming, all four of the knights flinched and froze for a heartbeat before picking up their pace, heading directly for where all the sound was coming from. When they rounded the corner, it took a moment or two for them to figure out what was going on.

Running around between the rows of flowering plants and bushes were half a dozen small children who were responsible for the majority of the noise. As they ran, squealing and giggling, they would stop from time to time to pick up lumps of mud and chuck them haphazardly at anyone who happened to be nearby while also doing their best to dodge everyone else's missiles. A harried looking young man was hopping around, flapping his hands and was attempting restore order in a squeaky, pleading tone, which only seemed to encourage the youngsters to make him their second most important target.

The primary target was a young woman who, despite her seemingly cumbersome gown and long hair that she constantly had to push back from her face, effectively and gracefully ducked and weaved to avoid all but a very few mud clods. She was laughing merrily as she scooped up handfuls of mud to throw back at the delighted miscreants. It seemed to Ichigo as though she intentionally missed hitting the children themselves and instead aimed over their heads or down at their feet.

"Lady Orihime! Nel! Ayame! Shunou! Anyone! Stop this! We're all going to-oomph! You can't-augh!"

Catching up to the knights and taking in the scene with a resigned sigh, Mizuiro said in a low tone, "I might have known..." before he called over the young man blandly, "Keigo, I would suggest you cease acting like a deranged chicken in front of our guests."

Whirling on the steward, the young man exclaimed in a rather whiny tone, "Mizuiro! They won't stop!"

"I can see that," said the steward in a borderline condescending tone before clapping his hands in an attempt to get the combatants' attention. Rather than stop, one of the children looked over to see Mizuiro and promptly threw his huge handful of dirt in his direction. In a practiced and unconcerned manner, as if such goings on were an everyday occurrence, Mizuiro stepped aside and the lump sailed harmlessly over the man's shoulder.

On the other hand, the young woman did look over to see what was going on and her eyes widened when she realized that her steward was not alone. In those few moments of distraction, she failed to notice three wads hurled in her direction. The first was thrown too far to the right to hit her, but the other two smacked her hard on her right leg and then just above her collarbone. Coughing in surprise and grasping her throat, the young woman took an involuntary step back before losing her balance and flipping over the bush behind her.

Automatically, all the knights made a move to go to the lady's aide, but Ichigo's long strides brought him to her side first. Unbeknownst to him, Ichigo had actually started moving the moment he saw the dirt clod connect and the lady's stunned reaction.

"Are you all right?" Ichigo asked brusquely as he quickly appraised her condition. He wasn't surprised by the glistening in the young woman's gray eyes; he had seen more than heard the air being knocked out of her when she fell. However, he was taken aback when the young woman put a finger to her lips, closed her eyes, slumped in his arms and... _allowed her tongue to hang out_?

Completely at a loss, Ichigo was about to give the young woman's cheeks more than a gentle tap yet not quite a a slap to rouse her, when he heard a child's voice ask incredulously, "Did we get her?"

Looking over and seeing all six children gathered on the other side of the bush and peering curiously down at the young woman, Ichigo caught on to the ruse and said solemnly, "I do believe you have won the day. What is to be done with her now that she's defeated?"

One of the girls answered excitedly, "We have to bury her! But first, we have a big funeral!"

"Nel," interjected the steward calmly, "I don't think that's a good idea."

The little girl whirled on the young man and stomped her foot as she said, "But we gotta have a funeral! We always do when we play Mud Wars! If we don't have a funeral then we'll be haunted!"

Keeping his voice even yet firm, Mizuiro said, "Nel, I need you to be reasonable. Lady Inoue has things she needs to attend to today."

Before Nel could say anything, another shy looking girl spoke up quickly, "What if we promise to do a really quick one?"

Mizuiro didn't say anything at first, but finally closed his eyes and said in a resigned tone, "You've got ten minutes. Make it quick."

Immediately the children jumped into action and told Ichigo to carry the defeated noble over to a bench and lay her on it. Almost as soon as he had done so, the children appeared with bunches of various flowers to arrange all over the young woman, from threading some in her hair, placing a bouquet in her hands and tracing her outline with the rest. It also didn't escape his notice that the young woman's features were serene and her tongue was once again inside her mouth.

When all the 'preparations' were complete, one of the children stepped forward and said a few words about death and how it comes to claim all in its own time. They all then took time to pass carefully in front of the 'funeral bier' before winding their way through the garden and out of sight.

Bizarre proceedings completed, Mizuiro shook his head before muttering, "All right, Lady Inoue, they're gone. Time to rejoin the living."

Opening her eyes and tilting her head back to look at her steward upside down, Orihime said in a playful but slightly scratchy tone, "Oh, all right. If I must."

Arching an eyebrow at his mistress, Mizuiro spoke to her in a tone that spoke of a long-standing friendship between the two in spite of their stations as he chided gently, "You do realize that these knights who were sent here by the king just witnessed all this tomfoolery?"

Cheeks flushing as she sat up and turned to take a proper look at the newcomers, nevertheless, Orihime's smile showed no sign of remorse or embarrassment as she said, "Well, can't do anything about it now, can we?"

Standing up in a flurry of falling flowers, Orihime curtsied most elegantly as she said, "I do apologize for the rather..." she paused as if searching for the right word before finishing with, "unorthodox scene you just witnessed."

Unable to keep from grinning, Ichigo returned the bow and replied, "It's not easy to call a cease fire in the heat of battle, even when playacting. Though I have to admit of being rather perplexed by the games conclusion."

Folding her hands in front of her, Orihime replied, "I know it's not a tradition for soldiers to hold such an elaborate service for those who have fallen in battle, especially the ones they were fighting. However, these children have all lost loved ones and have attended such services more than they should have to at their young ages, so to them it seems to be the most natural way for things to end. It may seem morbid or sacrilegious to some, but I think to them it actually somehow brings them some form of stability and comfort in the idea that while death does come for everyone it is not something to be feared. To appreciate life while you have it."

Shifting his stance, Renji whistled low before saying, "Wow, never thought kids could understand such a hard fact of life as death."

"I've come to understand that children can understand and make peace with many of the harsh realities of life if given proper supports," said Orihime before giving Mizuiro a significant look.

Clearing his throat, Mizuiro said solemnly, "Lady Inoue, may I present Sir Renji Abarai, Sir Chad Yasutora, Sir Ichigo Kurosaki and Lord Uryu Ishida," gesturing correctly to each man in turn before finishing with, "My lords, may I present the Lady Orihime Inoue." All the indicated parties bowed and curtsied as decorum dictated before once again resuming normal conversation.

Looking around, Orihime said pleasantly, "You are all very welcome here. Now that the pleasantries are aside, Mizuiro will show you to your rooms. There are training grounds always available for your use or you may alert Mizuiro if you wish to have a mount prepared or have any other request to make your stay comfortable. If you'll excuse me," and with another polite curtsy, Orihime turned to make her way inside.

The next couple of days passed easily enough with the men spending quite a bit of their time wandering the grounds or utilizing the training grounds. For her part, Orihime was busy working with Mizuiro, making quick preparations of food and clothes that she could easily carry on one mount while also figuring out when and how the rest of her belongings would be transported to her new home. While a large part of her desperately hoped that her future husband and father-in-law would allow her to continue being the mistress of the Palace of the Six Flowers and visit from time to time, Orihime also knew that there was a definite possibility that she would have to completely cut ties with her old life and so took some time to take leave of those she had come to care for during her time living at the palace. At every possible opportunity, Orihime would make her way into the gardens or the surrounding grounds to clear her mind and mentally prepare herself for the big changes she was about to face.

On two such occasions her path crossed with the tall, brightly-haired knight whom she vividly remembered from all those years ago.

Quite often over the years, Orihime's mind had contemplated the then twelve-year-old boy and wondered what had become of him. She had been drawn to his confident and straight-forward nature, but there had been one particular time when his brown eyes had softened as he talked of his mother and sisters that had captured her heart.

Time and again since that day Orihime had tried to reason with herself that becoming so completely infatuated after so brief an acquaintance was ludicrous, but she could not shake the desire that one day there would be someone in her life who would speak so fondly of her, even when she wasn't around. Someone who would be there to share in life's joys and sorrows alongside her. Someone who would respect and love her. She certainly couldn't help the part of her that wished such a person might be that same twelve-year-old boy who was now a grown man and had come back into her life.

For his part, Ichigo almost didn't know how to rectify the image he had of Orihime as a timid, frightened girl with the vibrant, entrancing young woman he now beheld. More than he cared to admit, Ichigo's thoughts drifted to he. Seeing her smile, the way the sunlight rippled and reflected in her hair, hearing her voice and feeling it soothe and smooth out rough edges of his heart he didn't even know existed. On first meeting her all those years ago, Ichigo's head had been too occupied with the desire to become a knight and fight on bloody battlefields not because he reveled in violence, but because if he didn't then such violence would reach out to destroy those he loved and had sworn to protect. Now, after spending so much time in those surroundings so as become almost completely desensitized by the ugliness and harshness of war, seeing the embodiment of what a life of peace looked like with a beautiful woman to share it with filled Ichigo with a deeper longing and desire than he would have previously thought possible.

The first time the two felt such stirrings of emotion for the other was just after the noon meal on the day Ichigo and the others arrived. Orihime went to change after the 'mud war' and then joined the men in the dining hall, talking and laughing with them. After the meal, Orihime took her leave while the men left for the training grounds. While sparring with Chad using quarter staffs, Ichigo lost his footing and somehow managed to fall in such a way as to snap his staff and get a sizable gash on his arm as a result. Assuring the others that he would be fine making his way back to the palace on his own, Ichigo took just enough time to quickly wrap his arm so that he wouldn't bleed everywhere as he walked. Along the way, he met up with Orihime as she returned from her visit to the town nestled at the base of the hill on which the palace was built.

As soon as she took in the sight of his wrapped and bloody arm, Orihime exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Are you all right? What happened? Are you dizzy at all? Sit down!"

Unable to keep from smiling at Orihime's frantic barrage of questions, Ichigo did as he was told while saying calmly, "I'm all right. It's really not that bad."

Once she was satisfied that Ichigo was settled comfortably in the shade of a tree, Orihime carefully yet confidently undid his clumsy wrappings and said almost to herself, "It's not deep, so that's good. But there's always the possibility of infection, so..." at which time Orihime rummaged around in a satchel she had slung over her shoulder before producing a handful of various plants and herbs.

Looking about her and taking just a few moments to look in her satchel, Orihime said absentmindedly, "Take these," before emptying her hands into Ichigo's and standing up to walk around to the other side of the tree. To Ichigo's immense surprise, there came the distinctive sounds of ripping cloth and it didn't take much imagination to figure out what she was doing and why. It took an immense amount of willpower to make eye contact with her when she next spoke to him while also keeping the heat from rising past his neck. When she returned moments later, Orihime took back everything she had placed in his hands, wrapped it tightly in one of the strips of what was formerly one of her petticoats and carefully squeezed and molded it into a compress, which she then tied onto his arm using the other pieces of cloth.

Having finished tying the bandage, Orihime said with just a hint of pride, "There, that ought to do nicely," before looking up at him and asking, "It's not too tight, is it?"

Flexing his fingers and taking some time to inspect her handiwork, Ichigo replied in a tone of surprised approval, "Not at all. I honestly don't think I've ever had someone tend to my wounds so well. Thank you."

Turning slightly and placing her hands in her lap, Orihime replied modestly, "Not at all. I'm happy I was able to help."

Then, after a minute or so of them both trying to awkwardly engage in conversation, something shifted to where both Ichigo and Orihime were able to comfortably chat on a variety of topics, but chief among those being close relationships with family members and what they disliked most about court life. They both had to admit that while making small talk or just overall talking with other nobles could be a great test of patience, it was the constantly changing and ever more ridiculous rules of fashion that irked them most.

"Do you remember when everyone tried to wear as many varying colors and patterns as possible?" asked Orihime with a delighted giggle, "I remember one girl's ensemble had a headdress with jeweled stars, her sleeves being striped and alternating colors, the corset was...oh, what was it...it was a kind of spiral pattern, then the underskirt was striped but in the opposite direction than her sleeves and with completely different colors and then her train was supposed to look like the sky going from middle of the afternoon day to darkest midnight. Looking at her made me feel rather light-headed and giddy, to be honest."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, "I can imagine. But no, thankfully I wasn't around during that particular craze. It was probably during the phase of my training when my mentor had us travel across the ocean."

"You've sailed across the ocean?!" Orihime exclaimed incredulously, "What was it like? What was your favorite part? Did you get sick when you sailed? What was the tastiest you got to try? Or what was the weirdest? Oh, I've always longed to go sailing."

Unable to stop himself from smiling at her enthusiasm, Ichigo answered all of her questions and talking far longer than he had for quite some time. Talking with her seemed as effortless as breathing. It was quite a while before they both realized how long they had been conversing and agreed to head back to the castle from different directions so no one would be any the wiser.

The second time was the evening before their departure.

Feeling restless and unable to focus on anything indoors, Ichigo decided to take a turn around the grounds and garden to hopefully clear his mind a bit before turning in for the night. As he was soon to discover, Orihime felt the same way. He found her kneeling next to a patch of camellias, carefully clipping away the dead or dying buds and foliage.

Crossing his arms and leaning against a stone archway, Ichigo asked in a low tone, "Sure you want to risk it? Another mud war might break out if those blighters come by this way."

Sparing him a quick glance, Orihime laughed and said, "Oh, I'll be all right. A little dirt and good fun never killed anyone."

They remained silent for a time while Orihime continued pruning, then when she finished she said in a hushed, almost dazed tone, "I wonder if they have flowers in Hueco Mundo. Would be nice to have something familiar to do there."

Before he could stop himself, Ichigo asked, "Are you sure you want to go through with this? You aren't doing this just because the king told you to?"

Then realizing the impertinence of his question, Ichigo held up a hand and added hastily, "You know, forget what I just said. It's not my place..."

Orihime looked at him with an expression he didn't quite understand before she looked back at her hands and said sweetly, "No, that's all right. I don't mind. And actually my uncle did come to see me over a month ago to ask how I felt about the whole thing and if I would agree to it."

Turning her attention back to the flowers and reaching out to stroke one of them, Orihime continued in an almost wistful tone, "As king, my uncle could have simply ordered me to marry the prince, but he asked me if I was willing and let me know in no uncertain terms that I could say no and that he would not try to manipulate me or force me into changing my mind."

"So why..." began Ichigo before catching himself.

Giving him that same unreadable expression which then morphed into a little less bright than her typical smile, Orihime replied, "Because I feel it is the right thing to do. If this marriage will help this kingdom once again live in peace and prosperity very soon, than I feel it is my duty to do what I can to make that a reality. And who knows? Perhaps I will fall in love with Prince Yammy once I get to know him."

"And if you don't? Or what if he is unworthy of your love?"

When Orihime rose up to walk away a few paces and inspect another clump of flowers, Ichigo wanted to kick himself for once again asking questions he had no right to ask. Who did he think he was? He wasn't her father, wasn't her brother, wasn't her uncle, wasn't someone who had grown up alongside her who could treat her as a friend. He was nobody to her. Merely a man charged with keeping her alive until she could marry someone else and become firmly established within that man's household.

"But I want to be more to her," came a voice in Ichigo's head so suddenly he blinked in surprise before physically shaking his head to be rid of that audacious thought. He was grateful that Orihime was currently facing the opposite direction so that she didn't have to witness him acting a fool. When she spoke again, it took him a moment to recall what they had been discussing.

"Then I will not give him my heart. I will be dutiful and faithful to him as a wife, but I will keep my heart tucked safely away. If there comes a time when I am no longer bound by my marriage to the prince and I am free to give my heart to the man of my choosing who loves me in return, then I will gladly offer all the love in my heart to that man."

Deciding to quit feeling guilty every time he opened his mouth, Ichigo said emphatically, "That's not good enough."

Turning her head, Orihime looked at him in wide-eyed confusion and shock as he continued, "You deserve better than that, Lady Inoue. You deserve a life of happiness with someone you love and who loves you in return. You deserve a life where you are not torn from everything you've ever known so that others can gain from your loss. You deserve someone like..." and there he did stop himself before he did unimaginable damage.

"It's not that I don't want those things," replied Orihime softly, "I want to marry a man I have fallen in love with and who loves me but as most children have to learn eventually, we can't always have the things we want. That we also don't always get the things we deserve either. Just because I am the king's niece does that make my life more precious than the common soldier who is marching to war and probably his own death as we speak? Some might say I am perfectly entitled to have my own way and wait for love to come along while those men continue fighting and dying for their country."

Reaching down to pluck several flowers from a nearby bush, Orihime then handed them to Ichigo as she said just barely above a whisper, "My response to those people would be if I don't do my part to end this war, then the man I love may very well be made to return and potentially be killed at the battlefront so that the life of love and happiness is lost to me all the same. How could I live with the knowledge that he died needlessly because I was too selfish to save him?"

It was a few minutes before Ichigo came to his senses and realized that Orihime had long since gone inside. Looking down, Ichigo's throat clenched when he saw two pink and three deep red camellias resting in his hands.

* * *

The next morning, the party set out and traveled for about four days without incident. On the fifth day, things started off well enough, but then Chad's horse threw a shoe, forcing the group to stop and take time to inspect it. They were able to clumsily reattach it so that the animal could walk fairly comfortably, but it was obvious that more extensive repairs were required, making it necessary to seek out a blacksmith. Fortunately for them, they were not far from a decent sized town and so made their way in that direction.

When they arrived, finding the blacksmith and engaging his services were surprisingly simple matters. However, grateful as they were that the friendly man was more than willing to take on the job, none of them were thrilled with the prospect of waiting for at least three hours for the blacksmith to finish all his other orders before finally starting on theirs. As they couldn't very well reveal that they were nobles who were willing and able to pay three times the blacksmith's normal price if he would only expedite the repair job, the group was forced to push back their timetable and relax during that time in a nearby tavern.

They ordered a round of drinks and a meal to be served. When the food arrived, they ate leisurely and made small talk amongst themselves for the most part. Things were going well until a group of large and very inebriated men looked over and realized that there was an extraordinarily beautiful woman whom they had never seen before sitting less than ten paces from them. Orihime was the only one who didn't seem to notice the men's supposedly surreptitious yet meaningful leers in her direction. For their part, Uryu, Chad and Renji slowly and coolly shifted their cloaks to have easier access to their dirks, while on the other hand Ichigo's blood rose steadily higher every time the men's red-rimmed eyes glanced anywhere near Orihime.

Everything came to a head when the biggest, dumbest and drunkest in the bunch decided to try his luck...or push his luck as it turned out. Taking four long yet definitely uneven steps, the man leaned against a nearby support beam and gave what he must have thought was a smile fit to melt any fair maiden's heart.

Pausing just long enough to try and hide a belch, the man slurred, "Whatcha pleasure, lal'lady? Careta sharea drink wifme friendly I? Wecha hallas swear to homily treat're right woman lady hallas." _(trans. "How do you do, lovely lady? Would you care to share a drink with my friends and I? We long ago swore to each other that we would verily treat every beautiful woman we came across like a real lady.)_

In true Orihime fashion, she looked up at the man in alarmed concern as she replied, "I'm sorry, are you feeling all right? Is there a physician or apothecary nearby you can go to for help?"

Leaning back, Uryu said in a misleadingly breezy tone, "Oh, I'm sure he'll be quite all right after a good meal and decent night's sleep. Eh, Renji?"

"Sounds about right to me," answered the man with a smile that showed only the barest hint of teeth.

Seeming to notice the men acting as obstacles between him and the 'lal'lady' for the first time, the drunk man's bleary gaze burned as he barked around and through another disgustingly impressive burp, "Wasna-urgh takinga yuse! Buddesnae lal'la-mph-urgh! Speakinae whatchitfur?" _(trans. "I wasn't *burp* talking to you! My business is with the lovely la-*heavy breath* *burp*! Why are you speaking for her?)_

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the rest of the man's friends came up behind him. With their jostling and slurred mutterings adding to the first man's instinctual need to prove that he really could sweet talk and/or bully his way to get a woman to do what he wanted, Orihime's protectors knew it was only a matter of time before things got ugly.

In Ichigo's defense, he really had gotten a handle on his temper and was going to politely insist that the men allow them to leave without resorting to brawling at which time he would get up and weave his way through the drunken brutes without so much as touching them. However, that plan was trashed the moment Ichigo saw the biggest man's hand shoot across the table and grab the pendant pinned to her cloak.

Immediately, Ichigo shot to his feet, jabbed the outstretched fingers of his right hand into the man's throat and immediately followed that up with a vicious kick to his left knee with a roar of, "DON'T YOU DARE!"

The next few minutes descended into utter chaos with fists, feet and any nearby furniture knocking out teeth, blacking eyes, breaking noses, cracking skulls, bruising bones and just all around causing all kinds of bodily harm. Of course, it was the wasted men who took the lion's share of the damage, but every once in a while they somehow managed to see well enough to land a pretty decent blow.

As soon as the fighting had broken out, most everyone else who was not at all involved and had no wish to be scurried for the nearest exit. Then there was Orihime. Knowing she'd only be in the way if she tried to help and yet very reluctant to abandon her bodyguards, Orihime darted back and forth across the room, doing her best to stay clear of the free-for-all. Her plan worked out pretty well until the biggest drunken man suddenly remembered about the knife he had stashed away in his boot.

Yanking the blade from its hiding place, the huge man gave a roar of triumph and charged at Ichigo like a psychotic bull. Ducking aside at the last moment while reaching up to grab the man's outstretched arm, Ichigo whirled around and then released the man so that he would crash into a nearby wall. The man did, head first, and slumped to the floor, stunned and moaning while his knife skittered over to where another man was wrestling with Chad. Seeing the knife, the drunken man gave Chad a mighty shove that sent him sprawling over a bench before lunging for the nearby weapon. Holding it aloft, the man gave a yell very similar to the one his friend had let out as he ran at the fallen Chad.

"No!" screamed Orihime as she raced to intercept the enraged man. Just as the man was preparing to bring his arm down, Orihime launched herself at him and knocked him over. Instinctively, he swung his 'free' hand, the one still holding onto the knife, around to stab at whatever had hit him before he hit the floor.

The moment Orihime first cried out, all the knights had looked in her direction and had watched with knots forming in their stomachs as she flew at the attacker knowing they couldn't do anything to stop her. When they saw the knife flash and a moment later heard her cry out again, it took less than a minute for each of them to knock out the remaining drunks and then rush to their charge's side.

Chad reached Orihime first, shifting her aside so that he could 'put the other man to sleep'. Then, as gently as possible, Chad lifted her in his arms while doing his best not to jostle the knife sticking out of Orihime's left shoulder. Unable to contain a small whimper of pain, Orihime did her utmost to remain calm and still in the big man's arms.

Inspecting the wound with a frown, Uryu directed in a clipped tone, "Chad and I will take Orihime to the town's apothecary for help. I am fairly certain I saw their sign near the blacksmith's shop. Renji, I want you to find this tavern's owner and offer him compensation for his damaged goods. Ichigo, go and find the town's officiate or sheriff and explain to them what happened before the fighting broke out. If we're lucky, they will be sympathetic and merely fine us for unseemly behavior."

At first, Ichigo wanted to protest and insist that he be the one to go with Chad an Orihime, but the next moment Ichigo conceded that Uryu's strategy would be most efficient as his cousin knew where to find help and he did not. That determination was very nearly shattered when Chad started striding out the door and Ichigo caught a glimpse of Orihime biting her lip to keep from crying out in agony.

In the end, it all worked out pretty well for everyone except the drunks.

The tavern-keeper was rather surly and uncooperative at first, grumbling about prices of wood and furniture these days, but when his wife heard that the pretty, polite young thing had been injured, she whirled about and started berating her husband about how she had 'told him time and again not to let those animals into the tavern and now look what they had done to that poor, sweet thing and you will not take one brass farthing over such and such a price so help me all that is good and right in this world you most certainly shall not!' so that by the end of her tirade, Renji was half-tempted to pay the man double just for having to endure all that.

Ichigo managed to track down the town's magistrate and explain to him what had happened and saying they were willing to pay for all the damage caused to the inn. The magistrate was calm and attentive as he listened to Ichigo's narrative and then asked if he, his comrades or the injured lady intended to bring charges against the drunken men. When Ichigo declined on all counts, the magistrate offered his hand in gratitude saying that this wasn't the first time those particular men had caused trouble, so this time around he would make sure they all spent a solid week in the stocks to sober up and take some time to think about what they had done.

As for Orihime, by the time she exited the apothecary's establishment her wound was properly dressed and bandaged. When asked by the others if she were all right, Orihime gave them her brightest smile, said she was very sorry for worrying everyone by acting so rashly and that the apothecary had done an amazing job. Chad and Uryu refused to say anything on the subject. It was true that the apothecary had ultimately done everything correctly to extract the blade and treat Orihime's injury, but the man had been so old and near-sighted that he had knocked the blade several times when he leaned in close to inspect the wound, causing Orihime all kinds of unnecessary pain and then nearly mixed together a poultice that would have caused the would to turn septic within a day or so had not Uryu swiped away the incorrect ingredients and replaced them with the real ones when the man's back was turned.

By the time they left the town, Orihime was exhausted but trying her best to hide it, Renji and Uryu were grateful that things had turned out moderately well, Chad tried his best not to blame himself for what happened to Orihime but all the same thinking about what he could have done differently in that fight while Ichigo had to physically grip the horn of his saddle with both hands to keep from pulling Orihime onto his horse and galloping with all speed to the east. Towards the sea.

* * *

As much as Orihime insisted that they keep going at their regular pace to reach Hueco Mundo within three days like they had planned, none of the men could find it in themselves to allow Orihime to endure that amount of jostling and discomfort while she was still healing. At Orihime's suggestion, however, they only added a day to their journey by stopping more frequently for shorter periods of time. Even still, by the time they were within sight of the fortress of a castle that was Espada in Hueco Mundo, Orihime was completely drained of energy. When they rode through the palace gates, however, Ichigo felt his heart lurch when he saw Orihime sit up and act as though she were perfectly calm, rested and her usual, cheery self.

Unlike Mizuiro, the steward of Hueco Mundo was an abrupt and rather rude person. Rather than bowing, greeting them courteously and inquiring politely as to their immediate wants or needs, the steward stood with his legs in a bold stance, arms crossed and jaw set imperiously as he watched the grooms rushing forward to collect the mounts after their riders dismounted. Once Ichigo and Chad had done their best to help Orihime dismount without disturbing her injured shoulder too much, only then did the steward move and show signs of life.

"I am Choe Neng Poww," said the man with what could almost be called a bow, "You will follow me to His Most Regal Majesty's Receiving Hall."

Holding up a hand, Renji decided he'd best be the spokesman before anyone else had a chance to 'blow their top' and said politely, "We would be more than willing to attend the king at his leisure, but we have been journeying for over a week and would be glad of a-"

Cutting Renji off with an upraised hand of his own, Choe replied dispassionately, "His Most Royal Highness gave very implicit instructions that the Lady Inoue and her guard were to be brought directly to meet the most excellent King Barragan."

"And like I said, we would be immensely grateful to His Majesty if we were allowed a brief respite to at least make ourselves more presentable," rejoined Renji in a clipped tone to rival Uryu's, "The Lady Inoue is-"

Laying a hand on Renji's arm, Orihime said in a soothing tone, "-more than willing to meet His Most Royal Highness. Please lead the way, Choe Neng Poww."

The corners of the steward's curled in an unmistakable smirk of self-importance and triumph as he bowed in almost mocking deference and said, "If my lords and lady will follow me."

The halls of the castle were unlike anything Ichigo had ever seen and with each step he found himself loathing it more and more. Yes, King Aizen's palace was also made of stone, but while the atmosphere at court could be overwhelming and stifling, the palace itself was decorated with such taste and deliberation as to be almost welcoming. Here, Ichigo saw the tapestries depicting unnecessarily gory scenes of hunting various creatures or battle scenes or even what looked like executions, heads of afore-mentioned hunted animals staring with glassy eyes at those wandering through the halls and other objects that sent chills along his spine. This... _place_ was to be Orihime's new **_home_**? How? Even the most generous imagination couldn't delude itself into thinking it could be anything other than a nightmarish prison. And yet when he glanced at Orihime, her expression still exuded and aura of serenity and contentment, regardless of her surroundings.

When they finally arrived at the royal receiving hall, the king took one look at the party and barked almost peevishly, "About time you all arrived. We expected you here two days ago."

Secretly signalling the others to wait where they were, Orihime continued until she stood in front of the dais and dipped into the lowest and most elegant curtsy as she replied apologetically, "I must humbly beg your pardon, Your Most Royal Highness. We would have arrived sooner were it not for incidents beyond our control."

"Incidents?" demanded the king, "What kind of incidents?"

Remaining in her lowered state until being given permission to rise, Orihime's voice revealed no strain or effort as she answered, "One of our horses shoes required repair and we lost about half a day's journey as a result."

Seeming satisfied with her answer, King Barragan waved a hand as he said, "Well, no matter, no matter. We had intended to hold the wedding ceremony today had you arrived two days ago, but it won't be that much of a difference to do it tomorrow."

Whether from surprise or continued effort to try and keep herself from toppling over, Orihime's shoulders jerked as she breathed, "Tomorrow...Your Most Excellent Majesty, is that really necessary?"

The king looked down and saw Orihime still kneeling and said impatiently, "Oh, rise! Rise already!" before clapping a hand on the shoulder of a tall, hulking and rather brute-faced man with an exclamation, "Come and meet my son and your future husband!"

After doing her utmost to remain in the same attitude despite her lack of energy, Orihime found it was actually far more difficult to stand back up. Once she did and got a good look at the mountain of a man who she could immediately sense had no intention of treating her as anything other than an object obtained through trade, it was all Orihime could do to keep from tearing up, falling over in a dead faint or both.

Reaching out a calloused hand to roughly paw at Orihime's hair and upper body (not her chest, although Orihime may have preferred that to having him rub her still raw wound, sending spasms of pain across her back), Yammy grinned down at her in a condescending way as he said, "I guess she'll do well enough. Bet I could snap her in two without too much effort, though. Wouldn't you say, Jirobo?"

The shortest of the princes with a protruding nose, looked down the same appendage with a look of disdain as he said, "She doesn't look worth the effort."

Pounding a fist on the armrest of his throne, King Barragan barked out a short laugh as he said, "Well, that's settled then. Lady Inoue, on the morrow you will wed my son, Crown Prince Yammy. Until then, Choe will show you your chambers and assign servants to help you prepare for the ceremony. You are dismissed."

* * *

Thankfully the preparations consisted of nothing more than a hot bath, simple evening meal and then a quick demonstration for the castle physician as to her ability to bear strong, capable heirs. Almost as soon as she lay down, Orihime slept deeply and without dreaming. However, before the sun rose, Orihime awoke and found she could not fall back to sleep, so instead padded noiselessly to look out her chamber's one window.

Outside, the world was still covered in darkness, but along the horizon one could see the colors beginning to grow lighter. Looking down into the castle's courtyard, Orihime didn't bother stopping the tears that fell as she saw that indeed there was a flower garden in Hueco Mundo. Involuntarily, her mind drifted back to her final evening at home when she had poured out her heart to Ichigo through those flowers.

It had not escaped her notice that time and again her brave knight had been on the verge of whisking her away in a display of passion, but regardless of how her heart and sensibilities longed for such an ending as could only be found in epic poems, songs and tales of love, her head knew that in time she would come to regret such a decision. Her love and devotion to Ichigo would not waver, but she would never be able to forgive herself for putting her own wants and desires above what she knew to be right. Even so, Orihime couldn't help but grieve at the thought of rejecting the one man she knew she would love the rest of her life.

Returning her attention to the garden, Orihime decided that before she promised her troth to another man, she would give Ichigo one final message...

* * *

He couldn't allow this to happen. He wouldn't allow this to happen. There was still time for him to fix things. To drag Orihime away from this godforsaken place and help her start a life elsewhere. To keep her safe. To...

He had less than an hour before the ceremony, but with everyone so occupied and working feverishly to get everything ready, Ichigo doubted that anyone was watching Orihime's room too carefully. As soon as his brain came to that conclusion, Ichigo's body reacted in kind, propelling him through those cold, horrifying corridors unsure of which direction to take but knowing that it was only a matter of time before he found what he was looking for. Or more specifically, _who_ he was looking for.

"Ichigo!"

He almost didn't stop. Almost.

Coming alongside him, Renji looked Ichigo straight in the eyes and said simply, "It's no use looking."

"What are you talking about? No use looking for what?"

Not at all fooled by Ichigo's denial, Renji reiterated, "It's no use looking for her, Ichigo. She's made her decision."

Deciding to switch tactics, Ichigo whispered hotly, "You don't know that. If I just-"

"Yeah, if you just right now what does that mean for later on, huh? How do you think King Barragan will react? Or King Aizen? Our king may not hunt you down for betraying his trust, but this one surely would. Then when he was finished making sure you and Orihime suffer in all kinds of unimaginable ways, do you honestly think he's not going to turn around and fight to take control from King Aizen? C'mon Ichigo. Use your head. There's so much more at stake here."

"This isn't right. What if it were Rukia or Ichika about to marry that... _thing_."

Swallowing hard, Renji blinked a couple of times before saying, "Honestly, I'd probably be doing exactly what you're doing right now and thinking of every possible way to get her away from a guy like Prince Yammy."

Laying a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, Renji said, "However, Lady Orihime has made this decision and if you truly love her you will let her go and do what she feels is right."

Shrugging off his friend's hand, Ichigo nevertheless spoke with less heat in his voice as he said, "I don't know if I can. I don't think I can watch as she..."

"You have to," said Renji as he pulled out a small bouquet and placed it carefully in Ichigo's hands, "She wanted you to have these. Said she wanted you to know before...well, you know. We all know she deserves so much better than this, but right now she needs us to support her and wish her well."

As Renji turned to make his way towards the Great Hall where the ceremony was to be held, Ichigo looked down and saw that this time the flowers were carnations. Two pink, three red and one white. Ichigo squeezed the stems with shaking fingers and lifted them to his lips.

In the years to come, neither Ichigo nor Orihime could recall anything about that day other than giving and receiving the carnations. The ceremony proceeded according to the traditions of King Barragan's court and the once Lady Orihime Inoue emerged from the Great Hall as the Crown Prince Consort, Princess Orihime Barragan, her hand resting atop that of her new husband's. According to tradition, there was no cheering from the onlookers, only a great shout that was meant to convey strength and intimidation. All the better as the sun was obscured by clouds during this most solemn proceeding.

The only other thing both Ichigo and Orihime remembered with some clarity was the moment their eyes connected after all was said and done...

 **Author's Note:**

So, before anyone says anything, just be aware that I know full well what I have done and have already taken the trouble to dig my own grave. If someone will only be so kind as to write me a fitting obituary, I think everything will be all set. ;)

On a slightly more serious side, this is honestly what first came to mind when I saw this prompt and I couldn't shake the idea. For better or worse, this was an idea I chose to go with and I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I took a LOT of liberties with relationships between various characters as you'll find out, but I think I took enough time to explain it all so that things were clear. If I failed in some way, please don't hesitate to ask or let me know since there are plenty of times when I know what I want to say but forget to add a few key points since I forget that you guys can't actually read my mind (imagine that, right?). Also this is hands down the LONGEST thing I've written in forever and I had to drum up the energy to force myself to finish, although whether or not my efforts were wanted or necessary is certainly up to you to decide.


	2. The Meaning of Family

"Mommy?"

Looking up from a stack of bills she was sorting through, Orihime gave Kazui a smile as she asked, "What is it, dearest?"

"Why don't you talk about your mommy?" inquired the little boy with innocent eyes so like hers.

Completely caught off guard by the question, Orihime swallowed and coughed while trying to come up with a reasonable answer and finally said, "Well, honestly Baby, I don't really remember my mother. Why do you ask?"

Getting up from where he had been sitting, going over to a bookshelf and pulling out a photo album, Kazui brought it over to Orihime as he said, "I just wondered if you had any pictures of you with your mommy and could tell me stories like Daddy does about Grandma Masaki."

Taking the book from his hands, setting it on the table, Orihime scooped him into her arms and kissed his forehead before saying, "Well, that's because Daddy has so many wonderful memories with his mommy and Grandpa Isshin and Yuzu and Karin. They took lots of pictures so that they could remember all those wonderful times even after Grandma Masaki passed away."

Reaching around to pat Orihime's cheek, Kazui nodded and said, "I know all that, Mommy. I wanna know why you don't have a photo album like Daddy does. Don't you want to tell me about them?"

Closing her eyes, Orihime quickly debated how much she should tell him at his young age, but she knew she couldn't lie. Not only because Kazui would know right away that she was, but also because she wasn't ashamed of her life, so why try and pretend it didn't happen the way it did?

Kissing his forehead again, Orihime said softly, "Kazui, I can't tell you any stories about my mommy and daddy because I really don't remember them."

Leaning back to look at his mother with a sad expression, Kazui asked, "Did they die right after you were born? Like that girl in the movie we watched?"

Shaking her head and trying to keep the tears at bay, Orihime replied, "No, honey. I honestly don't know if my mommy and daddy are still alive or have passed away because when I was younger than you are now, your Uncle Sora took me and ran away from home."

Eyes widening in disbelief, Kazui asked, "Why did he do that?"

"Uncle Sora never really told me why, just that he felt that I would live a happier and more safe life if it were just him and me together."

"But…" Kazui frowned in a way almost identical as his sire, "...but they're your mommy and daddy. Your family. Why wouldn't you be safe with them? Family is supposed to love and protect one another like you and Daddy!"

As he had continued talking and trying to make sense of it all, Orihime sensed and heard the onset of tears and so hugged her son even tighter as she rubbed his back and said soothingly, "Kazui, it's all right. You don't have to get so upset. It's all in the past."

"But it's not right! It's not right, Mommy!"

"I know, dearest, I know," she said while trying to keep her own emotions in check, "but you have to understand that even something good came out of it all."

Frowning in disbelief, Kazui asked, "What?"

Touching her forehead to his, Orihime said, "If Uncle Sora hadn't brought me here to Karakura Town, I probably wouldn't have met your father and then I never would have gotten to be your mommy."

Tracing her finger along the outline of his face, Orihime finished with, "And besides, a person's family doesn't just have to be mommys, daddys, grandmas, aunts or people who are related to us by blood. Family is anyone you care deeply about and do everything you possibly can for them. Can you think of anyone like that in Mommy and Daddy's life? Anyone we have pictures and stories about and have shared those with you?"

Face bright, Kazui hopped out of his mother's lap and hustled back over to the bookshelf to select another photo album as he called back, "Yes! Auntie Tatsuki and Uncle Chad and Uncle Four-Eyes and-"

Giving her son her best version of a stern glare, Orihime wagged a finger as she said, "Kazui, what did I tell you about using your father's joke name for Uncle Uryu."

Smiling unapologetically, Kazui declared, "I'm sorry, Mommy! I forgot."

Unable to keep a straight face, Orihime took the book and flipped over a few pages as she said, "But you're right, Kazui. They and so many others have done so much for Daddy and me that they really are like our family now."

Reaching down to curl her finger under Kazui's chin and lift it until he was looking into her eyes as she said, "I wouldn't trade the family I have now for anything in the world."

Standing on tip-toe to kiss the tip of her nose, Kazui grinned as he said, "I understand, Mommy."

Later that night when Ichigo returned home from a business related errand, he was surprised, but not entirely so by his wife coming up to him and hugging him tightly around the middle before he even had time to change into slippers. Typically, she waited until that was done before giving him a sweet peck and asking him how his day was. Sensing something was up, Ichigo dropped the medicine case he had been carrying, wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head.

When she looked up at him, Orihime's eyes were moist as she said huskily, "Ichigo...have I told you recently how much I love you? How blessed I feel to be a part of your family?"

Deciding not to ask for an explanation at the moment, Ichigo merely grinned as he replied, "Yes to the first question and to the second I'll say that our family is certainly blessed that you agreed to become part of it," and then leaned down to kiss her soundly.

After dinner while Orihime was busy clearing away the dishes, Kazui got his dad to lean over so he could whisper in his ear, "Daddy, can you help me with something?"

"Sure, Bud. What is it?"

"I wanna do something special for Mommy."

"Like what?"

"A family reunion."

 **Author's Note:**

Soooo...am I forgiven yet?


	3. Anniversay

There was something unique about Orihime. Her stunning outward appearance, boundless energy, overabundance of kindness and seemingly inexhaustible amount of goodwill towards even the most evil personage were all just superficial observations anyone could pick up on after spending mere minutes in Orihime's presence.

No, now that he was officially dating Orihime Inoue, Ichigo discovered something he had never picked up on before in their prior friendship and he felt was pretty unique to his girlfriend. As a mere friend, it had kind of escaped his notice all this time, but as her boyfriend it had now become startlingly and somewhat alarmingly clear that this one trait of hers was going to be quite the thing to become accustomed to.

Orihime remembered everything. Not just holidays and birthdays which most people were able to keep track of or major anniversaries which a smaller group were typically pretty good at remembering as long as it was their own. No, Orihime remembered absolutely every anniversary when it came to her friends. The first time she and Tatsuki went to the dojo together; the first time she and Chad started training together; when she and Uryu finally finished a major project for the sewing club; the day she and Ichigo first met. Okay, so that last one was not a great example, but she remembered the date they all went to save Rukia as well as when they got to Hueco Mundo to save her. Who remembers those sorts of anniversaries?!

Sitting at the desk in his room, Ichigo leaned his cheek against his hand and gazed sightlessly out the window as he thought, "Only Orihime would remember those kind of dates."

Now even though she remembered all kinds of weird annual occurrences, she only gave cards, baked goods or some kind of gifts on the 'normal' ones and would only make vague comments like, "Oh, five years ago today such and such happened. Do you remember?" However, every so often, Orihime liked to spring a random surprise on a loved one and give said person a sweet and thoughtful gift with a proclamation something along the lines of, "Surprise! This is to celebrate the first time you helped me come up with the recipe for those applesauce and pineapple muffins! I just tweaked the recipe a little bit to make them more moist and scrumptious."

And with his competitive nature, Ichigo was determined that at least once during the course of their relationship, he would completely take her by surprise. Fortunately for him, the next day was going to be the perfect opportunity as he knew Orihime had taken an early shift at work and it was his day off. Almost unable to contain his grin of satisfaction, Ichigo set about putting his plan into action. He enlisted Yuzu's help with baking and cooking, asked Karin to assist him in picking out the perfect location to take Orihime for this surprise and categorically refused to tell Isshin anything about what he was up to. A few cracked ribs later, Isshin seemed to get the hint. Before he went to bed, Ichigo sent Tatsuki a quick text asking her if she could do him a particular favor the next day. Initially, Tatsuki's replies were perplexed and prodding, but when Ichigo continued to be vague in his answers, she finally gave him a straight answer and agreed to do the favor for him.

Closing his eyes, Ichigo couldn't help but grin in anticipation as he imagined the look on Orihime's face when she realized what he was doing and why…

The day couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was shining, very few clouds were in the sky to obscure it yet for it being the middle of summer, the weather was pleasant with a good breeze.

As he headed out the door after grabbing a piece of toast for breakfast, Ichigo called over his shoulder, "Oh, Yuzu! I'm going to be taking Orihime out after she gets off work, so don't hold dinner for me, okay?"

"All right," said Yuzu as she scooped a ladleful of eggs onto the empty plate meant for Isshin before she asked, "Could the two of you stop by afterwards possibly? She's been so busy lately with work, it would be nice to see her."

Swallowing the bite of toast in his mouth, Ichigo said, "I think that will be fine, but I'll check with her first and then text you when I know for sure."

"By the way, brother mine," drawled Karin carelessly as she thumbed through her phone, "looks like there's some kind of event happening not far from where you'll be taking Orihime. Think if you stay late enough, you'll be able to see fireworks."

"Thanks for the heads up," replied Ichigo, "I'm out!" and ducked out the door as he heard heavy footsteps padding down the hallway. Unlocking his bike, Ichigo hopped on and sped away, a little hamper Yuzu had packed for him to use later strapped down behind him. He had a few stops to make to pick up a few needed items to make this date that much more special before he went to kill time by stopping by the library to get out a couple of carefully selected books. Having made all the preparations, Ichigo checked his watch and was pleased to see that he still had a bit of time to do a bit of light reading/memorizing just down the street from Orihime's work.

Completely engrossed in his reading, Ichigo flinched when he felt his phone buzz in his back pocket a few hours later. Even though he was pretty positive as to the contents of the message, Ichigo unlocked his phone to read the brief text Tatsuki had just sent saying she had done as Ichigo had requested. Taking a minute to quiz himself one last time to see if he had memorized a particular passage correctly (while also willing his stomach to knock off twisting and rolling so much), Ichigo did his level best to keep his expression neutral as he went to go pick up his girlfriend.

Pulling up a few minutes later in front of Orihime's work, Ichigo tried to act nonchalant as he got off and stood next to his bike, rifling through the basket as if making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He heard the door open a couple of times to let patrons in and out of the store, but when he finally heard the bell hung on the door ring at the same time he felt a familiar presence exit the shop, only then did Ichigo straighten up and turn around to greet the person with a grin.

"Ichigo!" cried his girlfriend as she held out her arms to pull him down for a quick kiss before declaring, "This was such a surprise for you to send Tatsuki all the way out here with a change of clothes for me. What's this all about? I'm dying to know and Tatsuki wouldn't tell me anything."

"Well, that would be because I didn't tell her anything either," answered with just a hint of smug satisfaction, "I wanted to spend time with you today, but I also thought it might be fun to...surprise you."

Practically vibrating in excitement and anticipation, Orihime beamed as she said, "Oh, Ichigo, that sounds wonderful. I hope you-"

Pressing the tip of his finger against her nose, Ichigo interrupted her, saying slowly, "If you make one comment about not wanting me to go to any trouble on your account, I'll tell Rukia and you know what she'll do, don't you?"

Eyes widening in understanding and just a bit of panic, Orihime whispered, "She'll scold me…"

"Precisely. If you're going to do such thoughtful things as sewing flowers on a friend's veil and getting all her other friends to do the same, then you're going to have to allow other people the freedom to be thoughtful in return. Got it?"

Standing ramrod straight, Orihime stiffly saluted as she said, "Aye, aye!"

Scratching behind his ear and ignoring the fact that he and his girlfriend caused more than a few pedestrians to stop and gape at them, Ichigo said, "All right, then. Let's get going."

Looking at Ichigo's bike, Orihime asked, "So, you'll push the bike while I walk?"

"Not exactly," said Ichigo with a knowing grin before pushing his bike in the direction of a nearby side-street.

Grabbing Ichigo's sleeve, Orihime whispered urgently, "Ichigo, I hope you're not thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing because if you're thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing I think we're going to get in a lot of trouble explaining why we thought we should do what we're about to do and who thought of doing it in the first place."

Leaning down to give Orihime's forehead a quick peck, Ichigo replied, "Today's a day for adventure and spontaneity. And you know that when it comes to certain rigid laws I tend to either bend them or ignore them all together."

"But what if you're caught?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ichigo said carelessly, "Hey, most people think I'm a delinquent simply because of my hair color and I'm pretty sure my scowl will help to sell it if we happen to get caught. They'll just think I blackmailed or guilted you into going out with me when they see how sweet and caring you are in comparison to me."

Gripping his sleeve a little tighter, Orihime said earnestly, "But that's not who you are, Ichigo. You're not a delinquent and you shouldn't be all right with others thinking you are."

Smiling down at her, Ichigo said, "Sorry, I was half-kidding, but people will see what they want to see in others. As long as the people I care about and who care about me know what kind of person I truly am, that's all that matters to me."

Orihime looked up at him for a moment before her eyes lit up and maintained her grip on his sleeve as she yanked him into the, for all intents and purposes, abandoned side street. She then reached down to lay her hands over where his were still gripping the handlebars as she gave him a beaming smile.

"Today, I'm going to be the delinquent!" she declared triumphantly.

Blinking down at her, Ichigo inquired, "You're what now?"

Patting his hands, Orihime hastily explained, "You were going to have me sit behind you with the basket like we're not supposed to, but today I'll be the one ignoring the law! So tell me where we're going, then move and have a seat."

Catching her drift this time, Ichigo gave her a blank stare as he dead-panned, "Orihime, I'm at least half a foot taller than you and probably about twice your weight. How are you-"

"I've been working out," interrupted Orihime brightly, "and it's not like I'm carrying you. The bike will take most of the weight."

Taking a moment to ponder, Ichigo said slowly, "All right, but at the first sign of you getting tired, I'm going to become said delinquent and steal the bike back. Got it?"

"Got it! Hop on!"

Ignoring the voice in his head that was torn between laughing his head off at the insanity of the situation and demanding that Ichigo not be such a pansy as to let a girl pedal him around on his own bike, Ichigo stepped aside so Orihime could take his place at the helm. Without saying a world or asking permission, Ichigo took just long enough to adjust the seat so it was more to her height (even with it down as far as it would go, Ichigo was pretty sure she needed another inch before it would be the proper height) and then went to take his place on the bike rack. His own voice inside his head wondered if the rack would even be able to hold his bulk, but as Orihime started pedaling away, it seemed as though the answer to that question at least was positive.

At first, no one seemed to take notice of the pair, but as Orihime did her level best to maintain a good speed while not overextending her energy, more and more pairs of eyes turned in their direction. Had Orihime been on the rack, Ichigo's broad and muscular physique would have definitely been able to hide his girlfriend from everyone but those who would look at them from behind. In their current arrangement, there was no way Ichigo could curl or contort himself so as to be even slightly inconspicuous. And, as the situation obviously calls for, the wrong pair of eyes took notice.

"Hey you! Kids!"

Both Ichigo and Orihime whirled in the direction of the voice and saw someone who could only be described as a 'meter maid' who had indulged himself in fatty, sugary foods for far too many years. As such, it wouldn't take much effort to outrun him if their current roles on the bike were reversed. Not having time to stop, hop off the bike for a so called 'Chinese fire drill' and take off again before the man in uniform caught up with them, Ichigo jumped off the back and jogged to match Orihime's pace.

Taking hold of one handlebar, Ichigo ordered, "No time to talk. Help me build some speed then move off the seat when I say."

Completely at a loss, Orihime nevertheless gave Ichigo and quick, trusting glance as she nodded in understanding. Holding the bike handle tighter, Ichigo sprinted a few paces before shouting, "Now!" The moment he saw Orihime raise off the seat, Ichigo hooked his leg over the side and slid onto the seat. Automatically, Orihime sat back down in his lap.

Shouting a little louder than was likely necessary as he felt their equilibrium begin to shift earthwards, Ichigo ordered, "Move your feet!" and when Orihime yanked them to the side and off the pedals, he took over and shot off so fast that if it were a cartoon either dust clouds or a fire trail would have kicked up behind them. It was rather difficult to maintain a 'get-away speed' as his much longer legs protested the cramped space he was allowed, but he managed to keep them upright and moving forward. As for Orihime, she somehow managed to get her long skirt under control enough to essentially tuck her feet up on the bar below the seat. Now, whatever eyes did manage to turn in their direction only got milliseconds to take in the ludicrous sight the pair made before they shot past.

Moments before Orihime's death grip on the handlebars and precarious balance slipped, Ichigo turned into another side street, stopped the bike and then wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling off. When he was positive that she was not in imminent danger of falling, Ichigo put down the kickstand, adjusted his hold on Orihime and stood up with her in his arms before dismounting the bike. Neither of them spoke for a time, trying to process what they had just done.

Eventually Orihime peeked up at her boyfriend and said in a small voice, "Well, that just happened."

Unable to contain himself, Ichigo quickly yet carefully set her down before throwing his head back and laughing aloud for a good thirty seconds. Always one to enjoy a good laugh, yet not entirely sure why Ichigo found the situation quite so funny, Orihime merely settled on a delighted round of giggles. When he finally calmed down, Ichigo began by re-adjusting the seat to its regular height and prepared to climb aboard before he said another word.

"Sorry, it just hit me how wonderfully this whole thing is beginning. Reminded me of when we were trying to break into Soul Society and had to run from the Sweeper or whatever it was called."

Mounting the bike, Ichigo grinned over his shoulder as he said, "Well, we've pretty much obliterated one law and I can't guarantee we won't be running from the police again today. Won't blame you if you want to call it a day."

Shaking her head vigorously, Orihime plopped herself onto the rack, threw her arms around Ichigo's waist and said emphatically, "I'm finishing this date with you. If they come after us again, I'll hop off and turn myself in to save my delinquent. Got it?"

Looking behind him sharply, Ichigo couldn't keep from grinning as he said, "Yes ma'am...but that'll only be necessary if they can actually keep up with us. Would be quite a blow to my delinquent reputation if my girlfriend took the fall for me."

Unsurprisingly, they arrived at Ichigo's specifically chosen location without further incident. They were on a hill on the outskirts of Karakura Town which overlooked the city and the surrounding countryside. At the moment, the view was absolutely stunning, but it was evident that when the sun went down in a few hours it would become breathtaking.

As Ichigo laid out the blanket and started prepping their simple meal, Orihime asked, "This is wonderful, Ichigo. Can I help with anything?"

Leaning back and patting the space next to him, Ichigo replied, "Nope, all done. Just c'mere and enjoy with me."

Their meal was enjoyable with a very few 'touchy-feely' moments of playfully feeding one another or kissing food particles off the other's face interrupting their otherwise constant flow of conversation on any number of topics. They were each becoming more comfortable with simple, physical demonstrations of affection, but they were most intimate and at ease with the other when talking and listening.

Meal complete, Ichigo felt his face grow warm as he cleared his throat and said, "So, there was a reason I did all this, Orihime, but before I tell you the reason, there was something I wanted to share with you."

Sitting up on her knees and scooting back so that she could look straight at her boyfriend, Orihime tilted her head as she smiled and said, "All right. Fire away."

Wiping his suddenly moist hands against his jeans, Ichigo took a few deep, calming breaths before returning Orihime's inquisitive gaze, saying slowly, "These words aren't mine, but I do mean what I say…"

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

Oh no! It is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

The breeze passing through the trees, the faint buzz of insects and a distant hornblast were the only sounds for a time.

"Ichigo…"

Grasping one of Orihime's hands between his own, Ichigo cleared his throat again and said, "I know things are going to change soon. We're going to graduate in a couple months and then I'm planning on heading to med school. As soon as I'm done, I'll probably take over the family business from my dad."

Squeezing her hand gently, he went on, "Those are some of my plans, but obviously plans can change or fail altogether. Getting a degree and then working at a job are a big part of planning for the future, but there's one more thing I want to start planning for and it involves you."

"Ichigo, I-"

Silencing her again by placing the tip of one index finger against her nose, Ichigo asked, "May I finish?"

Orihime nodded and so he continued, "For the next couple of years, I am going to need to focus most of my time on studying and working to make it to the next stage of my life and I know you understand all that. However, I also need to know that when I picture making it past med school and working at the clinic, now, I see all that with you beside me as more than just a friend or girlfriend.

"I did this because we're still figuring each other out and we're not ready to take the next step yet, there's other things we need to focus on for now. However, I wanted you to know what my intentions are in regard to you once I do make it to the next part of my life."

Lifting her hand to press it against his lips, Ichigo finished with, "I wanted to make this day special because it will be an anniversary where I set everything aside and show you how important you are to me. How does that sound?"

Smiling as a few tears came loose from her eyes, Orihime said shakily, "It sounds perfect," and kissed him before swiping away the evidence of her crying. Ichigo helped her and then swooped in to kiss her back, a little longer this time.

Eventually when they broke apart, Orihime said, "Ichigo, that poem was beautiful...I want to do something for you...if you don't mind."

Brushing back a strand from her face, Ichigo answered, "Today is supposed to be about you, but if it's something you want, then sure, I don't mind."

Giving him an apprehensive look, Orihime inquired, "Are you sure?"

Tilting his head, perplexed, Ichigo said slowly, "Yes...like I said, if it's really something you want, then go for it."

"Okay then…" and to Ichigo's immense confusion, Orihime started kissing him again. He was so engrossed in responding to her that Ichigo didn't realize at first that his girlfriend was ever so slowly pushing him into a reclining position. By the time he caught on to Orihime's intention, Ichigo's brain was almost entirely comatose.

She started with gradually moving away from his mouth to leaving sweet pecks on his chin, nose, cheeks and then jaw. Once she got there, Orihime inched her way down to his neck and then hesitated when she located a pulse point.

Ignoring the stammered protests of the voice inside his head claiming that this was so completely backwards, Ichigo reached up to stroke a hand through Orihime's hair as he said, "Go ahead."

Ichigo heard her swallow hard before leaning down and giving him the very first hickey of their relationship.

When she was finished and sat back up, Ichigo looked up at her, blinked a couple of times and then mumbled, "Hot damn…" before pulling her back down. The hickey was the 'worst' of the damage done by the time they were finished making out, but while they were still kissing, Ichigo couldn't help but once again tip his hat to his girlfriend. She had 'out-surprised' him once again.

Oh well. There was always next year...

 **Author's Note:**

Don't ask me why...don't ask me why...this is not normal for me, so now excuse me while I take a long soak with lye soap...


	4. Sea Salt-Part 1

_Pre-Author's Note:_

 _I am now dividing this into two parts, so while we don't quite get to the whole 'Sea Salt' theme at the moment, it will be coming in the next part. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Turning over, Orihime stretched her arms above her head and slowly opened her eyes to look up at the canopy over her bed. Stifling a yawn, Orihime moved her arms out to the side then froze when she felt something solid brush against her left hand. Slowly turning her head, Orihime released a long sigh when she saw that it was only the bedpost and not her husband like she had initially thought. Once again, he had chosen to sleep in his own chamber and for Orihime it had her completely torn between feeling guilty and relieved.

Returning her gaze to the ceiling, Orihime thought about her husband of only a few days. Prince Yammy had been spending so much time fighting and jousting in the tournament held in honor of their marriage and then gorging himself on food and wine at every meal that by the time it was time to retire for the night, he had no thought or will to consummate said marriage. It was inevitable that she would have to submit to that particular marital obligation, but Orihime was grateful for the reprieve. As soon as her thoughts drifted in that particular direction, Orihime's stomach lurched as her mind's eye conjured up the image of a completely different man she would have had no misgivings when it came to sharing her bed as well as her heart with.

Burying her face in a pillow, Orihime mentally scolded herself, saying, "You have to stop. The prince is your husband and you WILL honor the vows you made."

Just then a knock sounded at the door and Orihime sat bolt upright as she called, "Come in," before trying to straighten up the bedclothes and pillows so that it didn't look quite so haphazard.

The door opened and a gaggle of ladies-in-waiting filed into Orihime's bedchamber led by one in particular whom Orihime had come to think of as something of a force of feminine nature. Lady Tia Harribel was proud, aloof, authoritative and, to Orihime's mind, everything the nobility of Hueco Mundo looked for in a woman of power. She wasn't cruel or mean-spirited by anyone's standards, but Orihime had noticed that servants always kept their eyes downcast in her presence and were exceptionally swift in catering to her orders. While the other ladies of the court certainly made more eye-contact and conversation with Lady Harribel than the servants, there was a sense of 'do not speak unless spoken to' rule when it came to that particular lady. Orihime being the Prince Regent's Consort officially put her standing above Lady Harribel's, but Orihime knew she would have to attain this particular lady's respect and deference before the rest would truly follow her rather than Lady Harribel.

The Lady Harribel dipped into an elegant curtsy that wasn't as deep as the ladies behind her as she said in a low, rich tone, "Good morrow, Princess Orihime. I trust your night's rest was as comfortable as ever."

Clearing her throat and nodding her head with a soft smile, Orihime replied, "Yes, Lady Harribel, I did have a restful night. Thank you for inquiring."

Straightening to her full height, Lady Tia clasped her hands in front of her and asked in what was supposed to be a bland, uninterested tone, "Is the Prince Regent relieving himself in the...adjoining privy perchance?"

Face flushing as she understood the reason behind the lady's inquiry, Orihime nevertheless retained her calm composure as she replied smoothly, "My lord, the prince, felt he would sleep much more comfortably in his own bed again. I do tend to move around quite a bit in my sleep and wouldn't want to disturb any bruises or injuries he has from the tournament."

Eyebrow arching elegantly, Lady Tia dipped her head and said, "Well, we shall simply have to do our best to make you look irresistible and ravishing for the evening. Something the prince will have to sit up and take notice of. In the meantime, I believe the light blue gown would be most appropriate and becoming. Wouldn't you agree, princess?"

Seeing to reason to disagree, but feeling as though she were being swept away, Orihime nodded as she answered, "Yes, I believe that gown will do very nicely. Thank you, Lady Harribel, for your attentiveness. I will get my bearings soon enough, but during this transition, I do appreciate your assistance."

Giving Orihime another curtsy like she did earlier, Lady Tia then turned and non-verbally instructed several of the women to go about the task of helping the Prince Regent's Consort disrobe, quickly wash away the grime of a night's sleep and then go about pulling and adjusting her undergarments followed by the gown Lady Tia had indicated. Had she felt more at ease, Orihime would have requested only one or two ladies assisting her with the dressing portion as it was extremely difficult to deal with all the cloth and strings and make sure everything was hanging or fitting properly rather than having almost a dozen women surrounding her and making her feel claustrophobic. Worse was when they went on to apply make-up and fix her hair. Orihime wasn't one to complain, but she didn't like the amount of paint and powder they liked to apply to her face and if she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that when a young woman named Lady Loly Aivirrne brushed her hair she was purposefully yanking at any tangles she came across harder than was absolutely necessary.

All in all, it was a good time to start steeling herself for what lay in store for her the rest of the day.

After all the grooming, Orihime would make her way down to the Great Hall to break the morning fast with her ladies in tow. As soon as she stepped outside her chamber, Orihime was met by her personal guard which consisted of the men her uncle, King Aizen, had sent along with her as well as four provided by her father-in-law. She had protested at first, saying that it was such an extravagance to assign her so many bodyguards, but when she sensed King Barragan's mood shift from what to him was a good humor to one that took offense at her refusal to accept his gesture, Orihime quickly apologized with the claim that she was completely unused to be treated with such deference and thanked him for being so considerate.

She was quickly coming to the realization that not only her father-in-law, but her husband and younger brother-in-law shared the same pride driven mood swings meaning she would have to be very careful in future when it came to anything she did or said. Orihime well remembered her life at court with the constant dread and anxiety she felt before even leaving her room that she would never say or do the right thing in the other courtiers' eyes. They saw her as an outsider to put up with and while she had no desire to become entangled in the fickleness of court alliances (what they probably considered to be friendships), that still didn't take the sting out of being rejected outright by people who didn't think she was worth the time to get to know. They had left her in peace and mostly refrained from gossiping about or badmouthing her as she was the king's niece, but had she not been, Orihime was sure her time there would have been far more cutthroat. This time around, Orihime didn't have the option to retreat with dignity and live her life in peace on her own terms.

A few days ago, Orihime had been free to live as she chose. Now, she was trying to find some semblance of normalcy and comfort in her day-to-day life.

"Did you rest well, my lady?"

Turning towards the familiar voice, Orihime's smile was far more genuine than earlier as she answered, "Yes, thank you, Lord Ishida."

"Tch, can't see why she wouldn't with the setup she's got in there."

While the comment was barely audible, it was quite evident from the sudden thickness in the air that everyone had heard the speaker well enough. Knowing that the men she had brought with her would deal with this slight if she didn't act quickly to diffuse the situation, Orihime's brain went into overdrive while she also fought to keep her expression open and neutral.

"I am quite fortunate and grateful to King Barragan for his generosity in furnishing my chamber, Sir Jaejerjaquez," said Orihime in a tone meant to convey ease and unconcern, "However, it is quite unlike anything I am used to, so I-"

Another of her assigned guards interrupted her, saying in a deep monotone, "There is no need for you to have to give credence to Sir Grimmjow's uncalled for and rather plebeian declaration, Princess Orihime."

Pushing away from the wall he had been leaning against, Sir Grimmjow stalked slowly towards the second man as he said in a low, dangerous tone, "'S that so, Ulquiorra? Keep talking like that and this here plebeian is going to get awfully curious as to what color your innards are."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sir Grimmjow grinned as he said, "Then again, why wait? Let's you and me have a little tilt this afternoon. Whaddya say?"

One of the other guards stifled a yawn as he interjected in a flat, disinterested tone, "Hate to be the one to ruin your sport, Grimmjow, but I kind of doubt the king will give his consent to you having a go at each other while your supposed to be protecting our new princess."

Turning slowly to face the other man, Sir Grimmjow said, "Well, won't know 'til we ask, eh Starkk? 'Sides, 's'not like she'll be by her lonesome in the stands like she is in-"

"Finish that sentence and I promise you, you'll live to regret it."

To Orihime's immense surprise, the comment had come from Sir Chad. So rarely did he speak and even then in such a calm and sweet way that hearing him with such steel and ice in his tone made Orihime's head buzz and ache with the pressure of keeping her anxiety at bay. The situation was spiraling out of her control and she couldn't think clearly enough to figure out how to restore order and peace.

Rolling his eyes, the last of the knights of King Barragan's said haughtily, "Honestly, His Majesty is waiting in the Great Hall while you all waste time quibbling. I highly doubt our esteemed monarch will listen to any requests or excuses from those who have delayed the servants being able to serve the morning meal."

Fixing Orihime with his golden stare, the man finished in a rather oily tone, "Isn't that right, my lady?"

Trying to swallow and dislodge the lump in her throat, Orihime nodded as she said, "You are correct, Sir Vega. We really shouldn't keep everyone waiting anymore," and decided that the only way to avert any more squabbles would be to start walking. Doing her best to hide the slight wobble in her knees and flush in her face, Orihime realized that if she had simply started walking rather than stopping to say 'good morning' like she usually did, none of the tension would have built up like it was now.

She was coming to the realization that the only way to receive anyone's respect within Hueco Mundo, Orihime would have to ignore her instincts and develop a cold, haughty demeanor. The thought terrified her not because she believed it would never happen and they would never accept her, but rather that given enough time in this environment, she actually could and would change so drastically.

* * *

Following in Orihime's wake and trying to remain composed was becoming unbearably difficult with each passing day for Ichigo. Despite the knowledge that he was doing his utmost to fulfill his duty of protecting her from any unexpected assassination attempts, a knot still formed in Ichigo's stomach as he knew that bodily harm would probably more endurable for Orihime than this soul-crushing atmosphere. One can tend to physical wounds and see them heal over time, but not so with mental and emotional. The worst of it was that he and his comrades were witness to the carnage and could do little to nothing to protect her from it.

As bad as it was now, Ichigo grit his teeth when he thought about how it was only a matter of time before Orihime became the prince's wife in word and deed. Each night when Prince Yammy had risen from the feasting table to retire to his chambers, Ichigo had felt his heart stop until the large man drunkenly had called for someone to 'help him to the pot before he rolled into bed' and it became obvious that the prince had no inclination or thought of asking his wife to join him. When that time finally came what would he do?

Looking at Orihime's calm exterior as she led the way down the hall with her head held higher than she ever had previously, Ichigo thought with a pang, "She's strong and resilient all right...but this place will be the death of her."

* * *

"Finally!" boomed King Barragan as his daughter-in-law swept into the hall with her entourage, "I was beginning to think you had caught some sort of dread disease in the night."

Curtsying low before taking her place on her husband's right side, Orihime replied sweetly, "Thank you for your concern, my king. I am feeling quite healthy today and hope the same to Your Majesty."

Lifting his goblet of wine for a servant to fill, King Barragan replied, "Ah, my sons all have my constitution. Never been sick a day in their lives as I make sure they go through rigorous training and eat the best of every food. It's worked for me all these years and it's certainly worked for them."

Glancing over at his eldest brother, Prince Jirobo swallowed the bite of food in his mouth before he inquired, "Plan to carry on the tradition with your own sons, Brother?"

"Naturally," Prince Yammy rejoined confidently as he tore into a particularly thick slice of ham, "though I will likely have to train them twice as long and hard as our father did with us to make sure my sons are truly worthy to bear the regal name of Barragan."

Raising his goblet in salute and clapping the Crown Prince on the shoulder, King Barragan guffawed proudly, "That's the spirit of the true heir of Hueco Mundo! Only the strongest and most ruthless can ever be fit to rule and carry on our proud traditions."

When everyone else in the Great Hall lifted their goblets in response to the monarch's words, reluctantly Orihime and her companions followed suit. No one had spoken the sentiment aloud, but the barb nevertheless hit home in Orihime's heart quite effortlessly. The most that was expected of her was to bear children for her husband to then take, teach and mold entirely to his, his family's and his people's standards. Children raised by two parents would typically develop some character traits and qualities from both, but essentially what Yammy wanted was to make sure their children never had the chance to emulate their mother's weak, inferior and sentimental ways.

It would have surprised Orihime to know that there was one person at the head table who saw past her carefully maintained facade of serenity and wished he could do more to protect her from his family's and countrymen's cruelty. He had seen first hand the lengths to which one would go to escape such a fate and he vowed he would do what he could to prevent a similar outcome for this innocent and isolated young woman.

* * *

Mercifully, the meal came to an end and it was time for the participants in this day's festivities and sport to begin preparing while those who intended to witness the spectacle did the same in their own ways. For Orihime's part, she was glad the king had given permission to Grimmjow and the other knights to participate in today's events if they so desired. She was even more grateful when all her retinue decided that going back to their own chambers to prepare for the afternoon was far more important than tending to their future queen. So, with Uryu, Ichigo, Renji, Chad and Starkk, the only one of Barragan's knights who wasn't at all interested in expending energy fighting when he really didn't have to (Ulquiorra had blandly given in to Grimmjow's demands to fight and prove which of them was better after both the king and crown prince had expressed their wish to see the same), Orihime made her way outside to wander through the gardens.

In the short time she had been in Hueco Mundo, Orihime had come to think of the garden as her safe haven. As far as she knew, none of the other nobles bothered to come here, which suited her just fine. What did confuse her was that this place seemed so out of place in comparison to the rest of the palace. Planting and maintaining a garden this beautiful took time and patience and she couldn't imagine King Barragan, her husband or anyone else within the palace for that matter taking care of it and yet, on the other hand, there were no gardeners employed here nor servants whose job it was to work in the garden. Had it been wildly overgrown, Orihime might have suspected that someone had taken gardening up at one time and then either died or lost interest. As it was, these gardens were as well taken care of as those she had left behind for Mizuiro, Keigo and the children to look after.

Physically shaking herself to stop the direction those particular thoughts would take her, Orihime flinched slightly when she heard Renji ask, "Are you feeling well, Princess?"

Looking over her shoulder and giving him a more genuine smile than she had given all day, Orihime responded with, "Oh yes. Just my own mind running off in crazy directions, is all."

Returning her smile with a sympathetic one of his own, Renji inclined his head respectfully as he said, "Good to hear."

Swallowing around the lump forming in her throat, Orihime's pace quickened slightly as she felt as though the air she were walking through were turning into water. The only thing worse than enduring the indifference and slights of her new family and peers was the knowledge that her companions and true friends were witness to it all. Their presence was both a comfort and a burden, which was the last thing she wanted to feel for these men who had sacrificed so much on her behalf.

Stepping out into the fresh air, however, all those thoughts and burdens mercifully left Orihime for a few blessed moments. Closing her eyes, she basked in the warmth of the sun contrasting with the cool breeze lazily blowing by as well as the various intoxicating yet subtle scents from the various plants and flowers. Yes, here she could find peace. For all intents and purposes, this garden could be her home.

Opening her eyes and gazing about her, Orihime took stock of what needed to be accomplished. The other day, she had noticed a section of ivy needing to be trimmed back so it didn't choke out the flowers and bushes growing nearby as well as a few bushes in need of trimming. Deciding to start with the trimming first, Orihime had no idea where to start looking for gardening tools, especially trimming shears, so she opted for the next best thing.

Turning to her guards, she looked at each as she inquired, "Would any of you happen to have a small dagger or dirk with you?"

Bemused expressions crossed each of the men's faces as they looked from her to each other, but it was Uryu who finally spoke for them all as he replied, "Of course, my lady. We all do."

"Wonderful," Orihime rejoined with a knowing smile as she held out her hand expectantly, "May I borrow it, please?"

With only a slight show of hesitation as he attempted to work out what she might want it for, Uryu obediently withdrew said weapon from his belt and placed it in her open palm as he repeated automatically, "Of course...my lady."

Not surprisingly, everyone remained frozen in place, still trying to process what exactly was going on as Orihime turned around on her heel as she said thoughtfully, "Now, where were those bushes..." when she froze as she realized that for the first time since her arrival, there was someone else in the garden. Seeing a large, hulking and very familiar frame slowly rise up from a kneeling position a short distance away, Orihime's instincts were definitely not prompting her to fight whoever it was, there was a strong pull towards fleeing the scene, but ultimately she was forced to surrender to 'freeze' mode. The man turned around and Orihime's heart resumed beating normally as she realized that the man wasn't her husband, but his younger brother.

Prince Jidanbo rubbed his large, meaty hands together to dislodge the dirt caked on them as he inclined his head and said in a low rumble, "Ah, I wasn't expecting you to come out so quickly. I was just going to take care of a few things before the afternoon events, but it seems that you had the same idea."

Once again shaking herself out of her stupor, Orihime walked towards her brother-in-law as she asked in a tone mixed with awe and delight, "Are you...do you really," before a thought struck her and she said in a rush, "I hope I wasn't overstepping or causing offense by coming out here and taking flowers or working in the garden if it is something you enjoy doing. I just...this place reminded me of home and I didn't think...I'm sorry."

Holding up his hands, Jidanbo said with a sincere grin, "Please, don't apologize. It's been a long while since anyone other than myself has shown the slightest interest in this place. I'd be glad of the help, but mostly, I'd enjoy having some company out here from someone like you who understands a place like this."

Placing her free hand over her heart, Orihime's smile was even closer to one she would have given before she was married as she said, "Oh, you don't know how much this means to me."

Gesturing towards the borrowed dagger, the prince said, "You can give that back. I'll show you where all the tools are and I've actually already taken care of those bushes. But you could help me prune back the ivy."

As the two set to work side by side, Ichigo and the others released a collective, silent breath that they hadn't realized they had been holding in. For the moment, they each felt at ease now that their charge had found some of her own. Starkk for his part leaned against a nearby archway and closed his eyes, seeming as though he could care less about what the two royals were doing, but if one looked closely, one would likely notice the barest hint of an understanding grin playing about his lips.

Eventually, as with all things, they finished their work rather quickly and so Orihime reluctantly rose to her feet and said, "Well, I had better go inside and change before the first round of jousting," but laying a hand over her brother-in-law's arm, she said with a smile as she looked about her, "Thank you so much, Prince Jidanbo. Having a garden like this to both enjoy as well as tend to...well, I don't know quite how to explain..."

Patting her petite hand gently with his enormous one, Jidanbo replied, "Don't worry. I completely understand."

Reaching around to pluck a few yellow roses from a nearby bush, added a few nice looking strands of ivy they had pruned and then handed the little bouquet to Orihime, saying pleasantly, "And out here, I am simply 'Jidanbo' or you could even just call me 'Brother'."

Taking the gift, Orihime said, "Very well. Thank you...Brother."

* * *

Changing her gown took a bit longer than Orihime expected as she had to enlist the help of a passing servant to help her, but it certainly took less time than in the morning with all the ladies hovering around. She did feel a slight pang of guilt when she felt a rush of exhilaration after taking off the gown Lady Tia had selected for her and put on one she chose for herself. The light blue one was made very well, but Orihime didn't like how the color was so bland and the cut brought way too much attention to her chest. Instead, she chose a deep blue gown with silver accents and some sea green thread sewn throughout to give the impression of deep, calming waters which were colors that contrasted nicely with her fair skin and yet did not clash with her hair color.

After dismissing the servant once she was in her gown, Orihime cleansed her face of all previous traces of paint and rouge and started fresh. No paint was needed to make her skin fairer, so she merely dabbed a small amount of rouge onto her cheeks and smoothed it out. Taking a small previously burnt stick, she carefully lined her eyes just enough to accentuate their color and size. Dipping her pinky finger into a pot of lip stain, Orihime dabbed just enough on her lips to give them a bit more color.

Next, she undid her hair from the hairnet that Lady Loly had rather tightly attached to her head, then wove it into a thick, loose braid that hung over her shoulder yet still managed to reach well past her waist. She then brought out the pearl and semi-precious stone hair pins that Sora had given to her on her tenth birthday and arranged them throughout the braid. A simple yet elegant pendant studded with matching jewels hung round her neck while Orihime, in a manner of speaking, crowned the whole ensemble with an intricately crafted circlet a stop her head.

Stepping back and inhaling deeply to steady her nerves and calm her rather queasy stomach, Orihime fortified herself with the thought that while she was dressed modestly, she had chosen a look that would not fail to attract attention. Only this would be attention on her terms as she would be able to look and act every inch the regal and elegant queen-to-be and hopefully be treated as such, rather than as a bride desperately trying to entice her groom into her bedchamber to stop the incessant gossip and barely concealed contempt.

* * *

Whatever Ichigo had expected to see when Orihime emerged from her room, it certainly paled in comparison upon seeing her actually come out. If he didn't know any better, Ichigo might have believed that one woman entered the room and then magically transformed into a completely different person...which upon reflection, probably did happen in a way. She was stunning, but what she wore wasn't what drew his attention, but the way she carried herself. Self-confidence and pride seemed to radiate from Orihime as she gave her guards a passing glance and smile before making her way down the hallway.

Ichigo's trance was broken when he heard Starkk rumble approvingly, "Well, well. About time."

Once again, it was the nearly always silent Chad who responded first, asking in a low tone, "What do you mean?"

Shrugging and holding up his hands complacently, Starkk replied in a casual, unconcerned manner, "Just observing that our queen has finally arrived."

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Orihime turned around and said, "Sir Starkk is correct. If I am to make Hueco Mundo my new home, I'm going to have to make a few changes."

As if sensing their impending protesting comments, Orihime raised her hand and gave them all a warm yet determined smile as she said, "I am not changing who I am, but simply my approach in how I earn the approval and respect of my new family and husband," then looking directly into Ichigo's eyes, Orihime said, "If the honeysuckle can thrive in the dead of winter, I can certainly make a home for myself here," after which, she turned and continued making her way down the hall so that the only response any of them could give was to snap out of their stupor and lengthen their strides in order to keep up with their queen.

It took Ichigo a moment to notice that they now automatically walked in her wake rather than barricading her from all sides as before. He also needed the same amount of time to process the meaning behind Orihime's allusion to the honeysuckle flower. Coming to that particular realization gave him a rather bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, he was glad to see the young queen thinking of ways to find happiness in her rather dire surroundings, but on the other hand, Ichigo had the distinct impression that she was now determined to do what she could to formulate some kind of relationship with her husband. And with the way she was dressed now, Ichigo was positive that the Crown Prince would have to be a complete moron not to be enticed by Orihime now that she had come into her own.

* * *

Keeping her head held high, shoulders squared and her stride confident and graceful were all easier than Orihime would have anticipated. Her problems were her racing heart, suddenly cold hands and trying to silence her brain from conjuring up all sorts of images of how everyone would react when they saw her in her 'new demeanor'. Even beyond the possibilities of people staring at her in shock and then trying their best to cover their mocking smiles at what they would deem 'desperation of a neglected wife', what scared her the most was that it was entirely possible that no one, especially her husband, would pay her any more notice than they already had.

A rather pessimistic voice inside her head said coolly, "And why should they pay any attention to you? What is so special about _you_ that they should perk up and take notice of? What can you possibly offer to them? You were sent here by your uncle because he had no use for you other than to marry you off for political gain. You were so completely helpless that he had to send you away from court so that you'd cease being an embarrassment to him."

The other part of her brain did its level best to silence such thoughts, but as the light from the doorway leading out to the tournament grounds came closer, those niggling thoughts at the back of her brain continued relentlessly. Then, almost as if by magic, when she stepped over the threshold and made her way outside, the voice in her head stopped as if being left behind at the door. This allowed a new, more confident and encouraging voice to take over in her brain telling her that her self-esteem should not be so dependent on the approval of those who were mean-spirited and essentially 'ugly' people. There would be tough days ahead for her, like the honeysuckle working hard to survive in the coldest winter to provide a little beauty in the world during such a dreary time of year. However, if through her efforts, she could bring a little light and happiness into someone's life, whoever they might be, it would be well worth it.

With that thought in mind, she made her way purposefully towards the dais where King Barragan, her brothers-in-law and a number of the higher ranking nobles had already taken their seats. Averting her gaze from everyone else, Orihime locked eyes with a rather flabbergasted looking Jidanbo and gave him her best smile. While her father-in-law would be on her right side, having a man on her other side whom she could now consider a friend and confidant made her feel that much better about the whole situation. Since her focus was all for her newfound friend, Orihime didn't notice all the stunned expressions which gradually morphed into either grudging respect, sensual approval, confused awe and a myriad of other reactions. The only ones who were observant enough to notice were her entourage and for their part, their spirits lifted a bit as they saw this as a step in a more positive direction for their queen.

Taking her seat, Orihime smoothed out her dress and looked out over the field filled with knights sitting on their horses, at attention, waiting for the king to declare the days festivities ready to begin. She gave a small nod and smile of acknowledgement to the three knights who had just that morning been a part of her protection retinue, to which Ulquiorra responded with a dead pan look of his own for a moment before bending his upper body in a deeper bow than Orihime would have anticipated, while both Vega and Grimmjow gave her bows as well in addition to smiles of their own that were rather odd in her estimation, but she didn't give it much thought. Soon enough her attention shifted towards the middle, where she knew her husband would be to see his reaction and for the first time since they had gotten married, Prince Yammy's full attention was directed on her. While his smile was somewhat similar to Grimmjow and Vega's, there was a hint of something else in the way he was smirking. It took her a few moments to determine the underlying emotions behind her husband's expression and when she did, Orihime's heart sank just a little in spite of herself. He was looking at her with pride, but not the kind of pride that recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of one he has an admiration for, but rather pride of an obsessive nature that sees something he likes and relishes the fact that he, for all intents and purposes, owns it and gives very little thought to its well-being or care-taking.

She was snapped out of her musings when King Barragan clapped his hands together and announced, "Lords and ladies, the time has come to begin the last two days of the tournament, but as you all know, we have saved the most important and thrilling portion for last. Knights, fight for the honor and pride of your kingdom and household. Those who do will find lasting recognition and glory, while those who don't will prove their unworthiness. Take your positions and let the jousting begin!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Orihime noticed some odd movement as the knights all turned their horses to make way on the field for the first bout of jousting. Turning to look, Orihime saw two knights (she couldn't remember their names off-hand) seeming to be trying to cover up some rather severe looking coughs. Following them with her eyes, she saw them make their way over to the communal water barrel and take turns swallowing deep mouthfuls of water as if to quench a raging thirst. Before she could ponder any more on the oddity of their actions, loud trumpet blasts signaled the beginning of the first match.

Like most things in Hueco Mundo, a person's level of nobility determined when and how things were done. The opening bouts were fought by the lower-ranking nobles, most of whom were quite anxious to stand out from the rest and impress their aloof sovereigns and more elevated peers with their prowess. It wasn't hard to deduce that their desperation stemmed from the fact that the noble ranking system in Hueco Mundo was ever fluid and subject to change: victories would raise your status slightly, while losses would obviously result in the reverse. So loud were the crashes as the lances connected with each knight's armor that Orihime couldn't help but flinch and pray that none of the men suffered any serious or lasting injury.

Time wore on and more than one defeated knight had had to be carted off the field as they had either been knocked unconscious or else fainted from pain and shock of their shattered dreams of grandeur. While everyone else cheered the posturings of the victor, Orihime couldn't take her eyes from those who lost and seemed a mere shell of their former selves, so lost were they in their despair. In her agitation, Orihime gripped the arms of her chair so tightly that her fingernails started to make dents in the wood. It wasn't until a large, warm hand rested over top her own that Orihime snapped out of her pain-filled daze.

Looking first at her hand, which was completely hidden from view by the other hand, Orihime then looked up into Jidanbo's eyes and heard him whisper soothingly, "I know this is hard to bear, but you have to remember one thing: all these men knew exactly what they were doing. Some of them, if you were to hear of some of the things they'd done to those less fortunate than themselves, I think you'd see them in a different light. Pity them, but don't grieve over their loss, okay?"

Reaching over to lay her hand over Jidanbo's, Orihime gave him a grateful smile as she whispered back, "All right. Thank you."

Giving her hand one last squeeze, Jidanbo returned his attention back to the jousting field but left his hand dangling in just such a way that Orihime could surreptitiously reach down when she got overly nervous about the fighting and injuries to briefly hold onto his hand as if it was a kind of anchor keeping her from being blown away by her own emotions.

The day wore on and towards mid-day the king called a halt so that those in attendance as well as the remaining jousters could have a time of respite and refreshment. Food was served to them on the field and even though Orihime was not especially hungry, she ate a bit before turning towards the king to make a request that had been burgeoning in the back of her mind for an hour or two.

"Your Majesty," asked Orihime in a hushed, deferential tone, "might I be allowed to go down to the knights tents?"

Taking a long pull of his wine and swallowing loudly, Orihime at first thought that King Barragan hadn't heard her, but then he said in a knowing tone, "Wish to go down and see your husband in his element? Maybe give him a token for good luck or something like you women do, eh?"

Knowing better than to contradict the 'all-knowing' monarch (and thinking that it certainly couldn't hurt to make a little detour to talk with her husband while she was there), Orihime gave him a small smile as she said, "Yes. I would like to do what little I can to cheer the future king to victory."

Waving his hand in a rather careless manner while speaking around a mouthful of food, King Barragan said, "Very well, very well. Just be back before the first tilt."

Rising from her seat, Orihime took just long enough to give the king a deep, respectful curtsy before making her way off the dais, making sure to head off the left side so that she didn't walk in front of the king. She didn't have to turn around to know that her guards were following closely behind her, which gave her no small measure of comfort that they would be there with her. Around her, she could sense the other nobles and officials staring at her with open curiosity and shock at her rather bizarre behavior, but Orihime did her best to recreate her earlier queenly and self-confident manner which helped her to block out the earlier pessimistic voices from returning.

Sweeping elegantly across the field, only turning aside to avoid walking through piles of horse droppings and some rather stomach-turning puddles of bloody mud, Orihime strode purposefully towards the through the tents. With all the attendants, squires and a few apprentice physicians running around trying to attend to all the needs of the knights, there was a moment that Orihime started questioning her resolve to see this through. No one had noticed her yet, so she could just turn around and head back to the dais and come up with some kind of excuse about why she came back. There would likely be a bit of 'crow-eating' when the rest of the nobles started looking at her and wondering just how touched in the head she might be and while it would be hard to swallow, she supposed it wouldn't be the treatment she'd endured so far.

Just as her steps began to slow down and start to turn aside, something caught her eye that renewed her determination to see this through. Not far ahead, Orihime saw one of the defeated knights sitting on what looked like a stump with his head resting on his hand, his face pale and his other hand holding an already bloody cloth against a nasty gash on his chest. Looking around, Orihime saw no physicians nearby and any of their apprentices were rushing in and out of tents. With an uncharacteristic surge of anger, Orihime knew without a doubt that the physicians also adhered to the idea that those who won and likely had very few and certainly no serious injuries needed to be attended to before the more severely wounded, defeated knights.

All doubts and worries immediately erased from her mind, Orihime made her way over to the knight. Unbeknownst to her, because of her change in demeanor, those scurrying about took notice and scrambled to move aside and make way for her and her retinue as they passed by. Also, Orihime didn't notice the barely suppressed grins of pride, approval and amusement at the sight of a young woman who was barely tall enough to reach chin height of most of these young boys, but also some fairly large and burly men, hastily retreating so as not to block her path.

When she reached the severely wounded knight, his eyes were closed and seemed to be oblivious to his surroundings, so Orihime debated momentarily over how to get his attention before deciding on gathering the supplies first. She was just about to go and fetch them herself, when she remembered the men standing behind her ready and willing to follow her instructions and so decided to send a few of them to collect the things she needed.

Looking behind her for the first time, Orihime instructed in a calm, even tone, "Uryu, I'd like you to please go and fetch a bucket of fresh water from a well or spring. Renji, please try and locate some fresh bandages. You can probably follow one of the apprentices to see where they have them all stored. Ichigo, Chad, we're going to try and move him somewhere where he can rest more comfortably. We'll see if he can walk first and if not, please try and locate a stretcher so that we can carry him. Actually, go and fetch a stretcher anyway. The cleanest one you can find."

As the men hurried off to carry out her orders, Orihime heard a strained voice behind her ask, "What are you doing?"

Turning back around to her new patient, Orihime answered in a no-nonsense tone, "I am going to tend to your wounds. How are you feeling?"

Rather than answer her, the knight said incredulously, "But I lost. Why would you..." but stopped himself before he said anything else disrespectful to the future queen.

Answering his unspoken question, Orihime replied, "Because you're seriously hurt and need to be tended to before it gets worse or you die," then she reached out a hand towards his forehead, but stopped an inch away as she inquired, "May I?"

When the man merely continued to gap at her, Orihime interpreted it as a kind of acquiescence (or at least a lack of refusal) and so laid her hand against his forehead. As she had thought, he felt cool to the touch but there was also quite a bit of sweat building up from what was evidently a fever starting to build.

Before she could do anything else, Orihime heard Renji say behind her, "I brought the bandages, my lady. I hope I have enough."

"Yes," said Orihime after taking a quick look over her shoulder and then held out her hand, "I'll take one now, please, so we can replace this one here."

Laying her free hand against the one the knight was using to hold his thoroughly soaked cloth against his chest, Orihime said in a calming tone, "The bleeding should have mostly stopped by now, but we need to put a fresh cloth on. All right?"

Nodding his head in a way that told Orihime that while he heard her words and understood the gist of what she had said, the knight was definitely starting to go into a state of shock and so she laid her hand over his, pulled the bloody cloth away, replaced it with the clean one, gingerly removed the other and tossed it aside before laying the knight's hand over the new bandage. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chad and Ichigo returning with the stretcher.

"What is your name?" asked Orihime.

"Tesla," replied the man in a flat, rather dazed tone.

"Well, Sir Tesla, I'm going to find somewhere for you to relax while I finish treating your wounds and then send you back to the castle to rest. All right?"

Before the knight could say anything, Orihime heard an indignant, rather reedy voice shout from behind her, "Oi! Who are you and what are you doing here? That man is no concern of yours!"

Taking a moment to inhale deeply to calm her nerves, Orihime rose slowly to her feet and turned to face the man who had shouted at her. Fixing the man with a calm but rather icy expression, she took a bit more time to size the man up. Actually, from his appearance with the rather long, black hair and height that was not that much different from her own, Orihime thought him more boy than man trying his best to claw his way up by pushing others down. Looking into his eyes, Orihime could sense a personality very similar to her husband's and it made her skin crawl.

Pushing aside both her hesitance and aversion, Orihime replied in an unconcerned manner, "I am the wife of Crown Prince Yammy, Princess Orihime, and Sir Tesla is my concern as he is one of my husband's subordinates."

Evidently unable to mask his emotions very well, the pompous young man's face took on a rather uneasy expression as he realized exactly who it was who he was talking to, but all too quickly he regained most of his bravado as he considered that this young woman might technically be his superior but had yet to be officially accepted by even her husband, and so crossed his arms and gave her a self-important smirk as he reiterated with a snide tone as he said the other knight's name, " _Sir Tesla_ lost. He doesn't deserve to be cared for by a physician, let alone anyone else."

Feeling anger and disgust bubbling up from her gut, Orihime only allowed her eyes to glare dangerously at the young man as she said, "I see you haven't yet fought, Sir..."

Giving her a bare imitation of a respectful bow due to a woman of her station, he replied, "Sir Luppi Antenor...my lady."

During this entire exchange, Orihime's four guards had been hard pressed not to step forward and beat this nasty little boy into a bloody pulp. In Ichigo's case, it started from the moment the so-called knight opened his mouth and addressed the princess in that way. However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Renji give him a significant look and shake his head ever so slightly. For the small part of his brain that resented Renji's interference with him pulverizing the miserable blight, Ichigo grudgingly had to acknowledge that Renji and the others were right. At this point, Orihime was doing all she could to force aside her insecurities and become a strong enough person to endure all the slights and barbs that were going to almost constantly barrage her from this point on. If she were able to do that and show those in Hueco Mundo her true strength, they would likely start leaving her alone and show her the respect she worked hard to earn.

At this last slight, Ichigo was just on the verge of throwing all this resolve to simply be a silent support to his princess and give the knight a piece of his mind when Starkk's usual lazy, unconcerned voice took on a rather dangerous, hard tone as he said, "You have no right to be addressing your betters in that way, Luppi. Call our future queen either 'Your Highness' or 'Princess Orihime' and beg her forgiveness for your inexcusable behavior just now, or you will answer to me and the Crown Prince himself."

Before Luppi's expression could fully morph from the sneer he had had when addressing Orihime, to shock at being talked down to by Sir Starkk, to indignation at the ultimatum he had just been given, Luppi's eyes were drawn to something behind the entire group and he began to look truly afraid and almost sick with dismay. Everyone's curiosity was almost immediately answered when they heard the Crown Prince himself demand with a loud bellow, "What in blazes is going on here?"

Then turning his gaze on Orihime, Prince Yammy jabbed a finger at the injured Tesla and asked with a scoff, "What do you think you're doing with that weakling?"

Dropping into a curtsy, Orihime tilted her head to one side as she responded with gentle firmness of purpose, "My prince, I was about to tend to this man's severe wounds."

Letting out a loud guffaw, the prince gestured broadly as he said incredulously, "That's a physician's job, woman! And besides, if he dies of his wounds it makes no difference. When he lost, that buffoon lost his right to ride with the rest of the knights into battle and will instead be assigned to the front lines with all the rest of the riff-raff. You have no need to concern yourself over _him._ "

Keeping her expression neutral and choosing her words carefully, Orihime rejoined, "If I may be so bold, Your Highness," and after waiting for Yammy's gesture of approval, continued on, "I am tending to this man as he is still part of Your Highness' army, regardless of what rank he now holds. Now he may be a lowly pawn to be played in your wars, but even pawns when they have the determination and mind for thinking can overthrow even the most powerful pieces on the board."

Hurrying on before her husband could say anything else, Orihime finished with, "And I am tending to this man in your name, with your permission of course. When this man is healed and learns that you were the one who allowed his treatment, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be one of the most grateful, loyal and hard-working soldiers in your army."

The prince was just reaching up to scratch his chin thoughtfully, when Luppi let out a mirthless laugh as he retorted, "Every man in Crown Prince Yammy's army is already willing to serve him without question and to the death, if necessary," and then seeming to forget exactly who was standing nearby, he went on with a cocky sneer, "But I suppose a _woman_ such as yourself wouldn't know much about that, eh?"

Seeming to realize his blunder when he looked over and saw the prince giving him a blank expression that was quickly morphing into one of fury, Luppi looked positively terrified as Yammy growled, "That was the wrong thing to say, _boy_. She may not be from Hueco Mundo, but she is _my wife_ and by insulting her...well, you see where I'm going with this, don't you?"

Without giving the young knight a chance to stammer out an apology or anything else, Yammy turned to one of the two knights flanking him, whom Orihime recognized as the ones who had the strange coughing fits from earlier, and asked, "Yylfordt, what do you suggest I do with this...upstart pup who dares to insult what is mine?"

The man gave a significant smirk before lifted a gloved hand and coughing rather harshly for a few moments, then cleared his throat and responded, "Pardon, my prince. Well, I should think that the pup would need a bit of time away from Hueco Mundo to reflect upon his error in judgement and proper deference to you and what is yours, so..."

Picking up on the man's thought, Yammy tapped his finger against his chin thoughtfully as he said slowly, as if savoring each word, "Ah...somewhere away from the palace to reflect upon his sins. I think I know just what you're thinking of, Yylfordt, and I believe it will do quite nicely. What do you think, Szayel?"

Pushing his bangs aside and trying to cover his own hacking cough as best he could, Szayel said in an oily smooth tone, "Oh, I wholeheartedly agree with Your Highness' and my brother's idea. A most appropriate penance for one such as he."

All color had officially drained from Luppi's face as Yammy said with relish, "You will not be competing in the games today as you'll be too busy getting yourself ready to travel down to our southern border to Fortress Menos. If I were you, I'd plan on staying there for quite a while."

Knowing better than to argue or beg with the Crown Prince, Luppi laid a trembling hand over his heart, bowed deeply and then slunk away, a mere shell of the young man he had been only minutes before. With that matter handled to his satisfaction, Yammy turned once again towards Orihime and then gave a rather skeptical glance at the virtually unconscious Tesla.

Arching an eyebrow, Yammy asked in disbelief, "What makes you think that _you_ can save this...man? And why exactly do you want to anyway?"

Inhaling deeply to calm her nerves, Orihime lowered her gaze and dipped into a shallow curtsy as she said, "My prince, I cannot say for sure whether I can save him, but I ask your leave to try. And I would be grateful for you allowing me to perform this small service so that I can do my part to help make your country stronger by tending to those needed to help make it so."

There were several moments of silence and Orihime's heart was just beginning to sink at the thought that she would be callously dismissed as an emotional, addle-pated woman. When she heard the clanking of armor plates and low _thud, thud, thud_ of heavy footsteps coming towards her, Orihime kept her eyes downcast and her manner unassuming. Seeing the large boots of her husband come into view, Orihime also tried to keep her heart from racing as the next moment, a large, not typically gentle hand reached towards her face. The massive index finger rested under her chin and Orihime allowed her head to be tilted back so that she was looking Crown Prince Yammy full in the face. She fought to keep her expression open and demure as she saw the same grin appear on his face that she had seen back before the tournament began and she knew with a sinking feeling that tonight she would not be on her own as before.

Unsure of what he was going to say, Orihime was rather surprised when he said cryptically and almost to himself, "Hmm...interesting. I suppose you will do rather nicely." And with that, he walked away from her, saying over his shoulder with a careless wave of his hand, "Do as you wish with that one. I suppose if he dies, there's really nothing lost."

The two knights flanking the crown prince stepped aside to let him through and Orihime noticed that the one named Yylfordt had another one of his coughing fits. She probably would not have thought much of it, except for the fact that when he lowered his hand, Orihime caught a glimpse of something dark and glistening in the palm of his hand. A faint muttering sound from Tesla snapped her back to her original purpose and she immediately began giving rapid fire orders to her guards.

"Chad, Ichigo, get him on the stretcher, quick. Uryu, bring the water over here next to me. Renji, another of those bandages. Starkk, take off his armor and all his clothes, save the undershirt. I'll work around it as best I can for now."

Five minutes later, the wound was properly cleansed and dressed, a cold compress laid across Tesla's forehead and Orihime stood, surveying her handiwork with a not quite satisfied expression on her face.

"What's wrong, my lady?" asked Uryu.

Shaking her head, Orihime said ruefully, "I just wish I had time and the things to stitch up the wound. If I get the right herbs and make a poultice later, the wound shouldn't fester, but it won't heal up quite right and he'll probably have a rather nasty scar."

Speaking once again in his rather lazy tone, Starkk interjected, "I wouldn't worry too much about that, Your Highness. Having a scar is the least of his concerns right now. In fact, he'll probably see it from now on as a reminder of how he owes you his life."

"Oh," said Orihime slowly before she looked back at Ichigo and Chad, saying, "Please carry him carefully inside. If you could find someone to arrange for him to have a room near mine so that I can continue tending to him, that would be best. Should anyone give you any trouble..."

Grinning at her, Ichigo spoke up for the first time, "We'll just say we're following the Crown Prince's orders. That will probably shut them up real quick."

Unable to contain a grin and giggle of her own, Orihime said, "I can just imagine that happening with Choe Neng Poww. His face..."

Releasing what sounded like a pent up sigh, Orihime looked back in the direction of the field and said, "Well, I'd better get back before everyone gets too curious."

Giving the men another smile directed at each one of them in turn, Orihime said briefly, "Thank you for all your help," and looked as though she were about to say something else when she simply shook her head and then started making her way back in the direction of the dais.

 ** _Author's Note:_**

So...here's the deal. Like before, I just need to get this posted so that it hopefully gives me a good kick in the pants to get my brain in gear to finally finish it sometime this weekend.

Things are progressing the way I planned and while I know, I know, I know, I know, I know it is REALLY hard to see Orihime put in this position with Yammy, BELIEVE ME, I chose him for a VERY specific reason.

Now to go to sleep and get ready for another day of work...


End file.
